


By My Side

by minhoinator



Category: SHINee
Genre: Getting Together, Hogwarts AU, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-01-09 12:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 120,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12276588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minhoinator/pseuds/minhoinator
Summary: Minho and his family move to England for his father’s job. Before he can even adjust to the move, he gets a letter telling him that he’s a wizard and he’s been accepted at Hogwarts – whatever that is.Kibum comes from a family of Hufflepuffs and is excited to start his first year at Hogwarts and carry on the legacy his parents and grandmother set.They met on the train, and the rest is history...





	1. Muggle-born

**Author's Note:**

> yeah so you can blame Kim Kibum himself for this...
> 
> This is just for fun, and I'm planning on seeing this all the way through (I'm hoping to do ten chapters per year + an epilogue), but I do have a life outside of writing this as well as other writing projects I'm working on. So....I will update as often as possible, but please be patient with me ^^ Anyways, I hope you all enjoy Minkey @ Hogwarts~

The Hogwarts Express’ whistle sounded once, twice, and then a third time before it jolted forward, carrying students – both old and new – away from their families on Platform 9¾. Minho clasped his hands together, his whole body vibrating with nerves and excitement. He was going to be a wizard, an actual wizard. He never dreamed that this would happen. In fact, the thought had never even crossed his mind until two months ago.

* * * * * * * * * *

The day his letter came was one filled with utter confusion. Minho and his family were moving into their new house in Manchester. His father had taken a position as coach for Manchester United, which meant that the Choi’s had to move from South Korea to England. Minho and his older brother, Minseok, had been dreading the trip. It would be hard to make new friends in a foreign country whole all spoke a language they didn’t know.

He was not looking forward to it at all.

Minho tossed his backpack onto the bare floor of his new bedroom and slumped next to it, glancing around at the empty walls. Soon, of course, they would be filled with posters and pictures of his favorite athletes. For now, however, they were too depressing to look at. His bottom lip trembled as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes scrunching shut so he wouldn’t cry. He missed Jinki and Taemin and Sooyoung and all his friends from back home.

Minho picked up his backpack and hugged it to his chest. Maybe if he wished very hard then this would all turn out to be a dream.

“Minho,” came his mother’s voice from downstairs. Minho squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. No, this was all a bad dream. “Minho, you have mail!”

Minho tossed his backpack across the room and slid to his bedroom door on socked feet. He clambered downstairs and to his mother, his hand open and waiting for the letter. “Is it from Sooyoung? Jinki?”

“I’m not sure. It came through the mail slot just now,” she said as she handed him the letter. On the front, there were pretty Latin letters written in a dark green ink. Minho flipped it over, confused, and turned it again to find that the letters had shifted to Hangul. It read: _Choi Minho, Second Upstairs Bedroom On The Right, 10 Prism Lane, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom._

Frowning, Minho opened it and found that the letter inside was written in Hangul as well. He sank to the floor as he read it, and then read it again. He was a…wizard? Like, that was an actual thing? Minho licked his lips and he read it once more.

> _Dear Mr. Choi,_
> 
> _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._
> 
> _Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._
> 
> _Yours sincerely,_
> 
> _Patrick O'Neely_

Minho brought the letter to his father, who looked it over and then called his mother down to the living room. She looked it over as well and called Minseok down from his room to see if he knew what this meant. None of them did, and there was no phone number in the rather ornate heading for them to call and figure this out. Minseok left them to go play outside but came running back in a moment later.

“There’s an owl out here?”

Minho ran to the front door, the rest crowding behind him as they looked at the owl sitting atop their mailbox. Its tawny head tilted as it inspected them, its wings fluttering out at the sides from what Minho felt was impatience.

“What should we do?”

“Should we send a letter back?”

Soon, they all sat huddled around Minho as he penned, _I’m sorry, but I don’t think I applied for your school. I’m going to the middle school in Manchester in the fall._ He paused for a moment before adding, _Please explain what this means._ He signed his name and folded up the letter. His family watched from the front door as he carried it out to the owl. It took the letter in its beak and startled Minho by flying away directly after.

The next day, another letter arrived.

> _Dear Mr. Choi,_
> 
> _I am sorry if my previous letter caused any sort of confusion. It was not my intention._
> 
> _I have glanced over your file and now see that you are Muggle-born (which means having non-magical parents) but that you discovered your magic at approximately the age of four._

“What is he talking about?” his mother asked when both Minho and Minseok looked at each other.

They had been playing one day, and Minseok fell and scraped his knee on the gravel. Minho had helped him over to the garden hose and they washed off the cut. Before they went inside, Minho brushed away some of the rocks out of the scrape, only to find that the wound was healing itself. It freaked them both out, and they had promised not to tell their mother. Minho didn’t try to use it again, but sometimes things would just…happen.

It showed up most often when he and Minseok were playing football in their backyard. Whenever he kicked the ball and it would find its way between the two trees they used as goal posts. Even if his kick was off, it still made it between the trees.

Minho shrugged and continued reading.

> _Enclosed is a map of how to get to Diagon Alley, where your supplies for your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can be bought._
> 
> _We look forward to having you further your magical education here and hope that you enjoy the rest of your summer._
> 
> _Yours sincerely,_
> 
> _Patrick O'Neely_

The following Saturday, Minho and his mother followed Mr. O'Neely’s instructions exactly, finding themselves in the center of a strange marketplace. “We’re just here to look around,” she told him as she took his hand and started walking down the cobblestone street. “Your father and I still aren’t sure if we’re going to let you go.”

They looked through the windows of all the shops, inspecting the wares without actually going inside. Some of the shop owners came out to greet them and invite them inside, and Minho did his best to tell them no, but thank you. He hoped they understood. When they passed by what appeared to be a candy shop, he pleaded with his mother to go inside this one, and she agreed.

Candy lined the walls from floor to ceiling, and he didn’t recognize any of the little delicacies. What drew his attention was the clear bin full of frogs hopping around inside. He pressed his hands and the tip of his nose against the glass, watching them jump around and around until the shop owner approached him.

“Would you like to try one?” His wide eyes met the shop owner’s, and he shook his head slowly before looking back at the frogs. Most were single shades of differing browns, but one stood out to him – one with darker skin and a white marbled marking across its back.

He tapped the glass, looking up at the shop owner. “It’s…pretty,” Minho said, his brow scrunched in concentration as he thought of the right words. “Can I…hold it?” he asked, cupping his hands together in case his English was wrong.

“Jus’ be careful, lad,” the shop owner said, reaching inside with a gloved hand. “Might melt if you hold it too long.”

“Okay,” he held out his hands to the man, wondering if he had heard right. He dropped the frog into Minho’s hand, and he let out a surprised oh! as it hopped around in Minho’s now closed hands. He opened his hands after a second, surprised to see melted brown streaks across his palms. The frog hopped out of his hands and to the floor. Minho watched in amazement as it bounced out the door.

It was not long after they left the candy shop that his mother decided to take Minho home. She was quiet on the train ride home, despite Minho’s attempt at conversation. She sent Minseok and Minho to their rooms once they got home so that she and their father could discuss the situation alone. Both brothers sat huddled at the top of the stairs, listening to the conversation.

“So, what’d you think?” their father asked, his teacup clinking on the table top.

“I don’t know…it’ll be so different than anything he’s ever known.”

“How did he react to the – what was it called?”

“Diagon Alley.”

“Yeah. What’d he think of that?”

Their mother clicked her tongue, both Minho and Minseok scooting a little closer together at the sound. “He seemed interested, but…Honey, we’re talking about sending him away to a school that we know nothing about in a country where none of us really know the language.” She sighed. “It doesn’t seem fair to him.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“No, I wanted to discuss it with you first.”

Silence fell between their parents. Minho fiddled with the frayed hole in the knee of his jeans, waiting for his father’s decision on the matter.

Finally, his father cleared his throat. “I think he should go. It might be good for him. It might help him break out of his shell.”

“Don’t you think it might be too drastic of a change? What if it’s too much for him?”

“We can’t baby him forever, Honey.”

“I suppose.”

Minho and Minseok scrambled to their rooms when their parents pushed away from the table. At dinner, their father repeated what he said earlier and added that if it didn’t work out, Minho could always go to Minseok’s school. Minho simply nodded, his nerves mingling with a bit of excitement.

He couldn’t sleep that night.

He also couldn’t stop yawning the next day on the train ride to Diagon Alley with his whole family. They exchanged some of their money at the bank, his father giving him some of the copper and silver coins to keep for his school year away from them. They traveled all around Diagon Alley, searching for the items on the shopping list from the first letter.

His favorite stop was the wand shop where an eccentric old man kept handing him wands to swish around. The one he ended up getting was a long, unevenly carved wand. When the old man handed it to him, the curled base fitting neatly into his palm. It felt warm in his hand, a flurry of gold sparks spurting from the tip when he swished it through the air.

“A nice wand,” the man said, taking the wand from Minho’s hand. “Cedar with a unicorn hair core.” Minho blinked when it seemed like the man was trying to snap his wand in half. “Pliable. You’ll do good things with this wand.”

Minho had all his new things packed in his duffle bag and backpack two days before he had to leave for Hogwarts. He sat on the edge of his bed, his gaze darting between his bags and his new charcoal gray owl with bright yellow eyes. Geum-nun, he named her. She was sort of cute, especially when she didn’t flutter her wings and scare him when he was trying to sleep.

The day finally came for his family to drop him off at King’s Cross Station. Minho read over the instructions for how to enter the platform. “I guess…I’m supposed to run through it?” he said, looking up at his dad. “I don’t know if you guys will be able to come with.”

“Then we’ll just say goodbye out here.”

“O-okay.”

His mother pulled him into a tight hug, kissing his forehead. “Be sure to write to us, sweetie.”

“If anything seems off about this place, let us know and we’ll bring you right back home.” Minho’s bottom lip trembled as he nodded. His father patted his back and Minho picked his duffle bag and Geum-nun’s cage off the station floor. “Good luck, son,” his father said as Minho ran toward the brick wall, wincing before he made impact.

None came.

Instead, sunlight streamed through the open gate at the far end of the platform. Gray smoke plumed from the cherry red train waiting to be boarded. It created a sort of haze around the myriad student milling about the platform. Many of them were saying goodbye to their parents, while others put their bags in a growing pile of luggage and boarded the train.

Minho placed his duffle bag with the trunks and said goodbye to Geum-nun before his hands found the straps of his backpack. He held onto them tightly as he boarded the train.

* * * * * * * * * *

Minho watched the other students from the inside of his otherwise empty cabin. They were all waving goodbye to their families as the train pulled away from the station. He rocked back and forth in his seat, wringing his hands together in his lap. Was he excited? Yes? But now that he knew that this wasn’t actually an elaborate dream, his excitement was giving way to his nerves again.

What if he didn’t make any friends? What if nobody gave him the time of day because he couldn’t speak very much English? He had been studying as much as he could all summer - Minseok said he was improving, but…

There came a loud rapping at the door, the sound startling Minho. He turned to find a boy about his age who also happened to be Asian. Minho’s eyes widened and he opened the door slowly.

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, Minho blinking several times before he nodded. The boy closed the door behind him and hopped onto the bench opposite Minho, scooting over until he was directly in front of him. “Hello!” he said, grinning.

The corners of his eyes and the bridge of his nose bunched up with he smiled. His warm brown eyes twinkled brightly, and Minho couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’m Kibum.” Minho’s heart stuttered in his chest. Were his ears deceiving him or was that a Korean name he just heard? “Kim Kibum. Who are you?”

“Minho,” he said, extending his hand for Kibum to shake, which he did. “Do you know…Korea?”

Kibum’s eyes brightened just a little more than Minho previously thought possible. “Yes,” he said, switching from speaking English to Korean. “It’s nice to meet you.”


	2. Sorted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m Kibum. Kim Kibum. Who are you?”
> 
> “Minho,” he said, his voice quiet. Oh? Was he Korean too? He held out his hand, and Kibum shook it enthusiastically. “Do you know…Korea?”
> 
> Kibum blinked, wondering how long it had been since Minho moved to England. It couldn’t have been too long. His heart went out to Minho – poor kid must be so nervous and scared. Kibum smiled at Minho, thanking all the stars in the universe that his grandmother still insisted on speaking Korean around the house.
> 
> “Yes,” he said, Minho sitting up a little straighter when he switched to Korean. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Dust filtered through the air of Ollivander’s wand shop, tickling Kibum’s nose. He rubbed the itch away with the hand still holding his newly purchased wand. He didn’t want to give it up yet. Sidling up to his grandmother’s side, Kibum rolled his applewood wand between his hands. He smiled at the feeling of the rounded hilt against his palms.

He finally had a wand.

Mom gave him his dad’s old wand to mess around with before he moved to London to live with his grandmother. Kibum would practice holding the wand and swishing it around in the air. While that was fun and even – at times – educational, it just felt like a stick in his hands compared to this.

His own wand.

Kibum swished it through the air again and bounced excitedly next to his grandmother when the gold sparks rained down amidst the dust.“Mr. Kim, your wand, if you please,” Mr. Ollivander said, extending his hand across the counter. Kibum reluctantly placed his wand in Mr. Ollivander’s hand, watching as he returned it to its box and handed it to Kibum’s grandmother.

Grandma put her coin purse back into her russet and crimson robe pocket and reached out to take Kibum’s hand. “Is there anything else we have to get?” She asked once they stepped outside onto the main street of Diagon Alley.

Kibum shook his head and pulled his father’s old Hufflepuff scarf above his nose. “No, we got everything else last trip.”

“Do you want to get a treat then before we go home?”

He shook his head again, glancing down when he saw some movement on the cobblestone street. It was a dark chocolate frog with white chocolate marbling swirled across its back. Kibum laughed and pointed at it when Grandma asked what was so funny. “I wonder how it got loose.”

She smiled and readjusted her grip on his hand as they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron and into the Muggle world once more.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kibum woke before the sun on September first, bouncing on his bed until Nutmeg, his tawny owl, hooted in protest. He stopped jumping immediately and scampered over to his perch, petting Nutmeg’s soft head feathers.

“Sorry, Meg.” He made a quick chu sound and Nutmeg returned the kiss by tapping his beak against Kibum’s forehead. “We’re going to Hogwarts!” he whispered excitedly before he started dancing around his room. He found his way over to his bed and grabbed his dad’s old wand from under his pillow, swishing it around while checking his reflection out in the mirror.

Okay so, he would look a lot cooler if he were wearing his robes instead of his matching set of pajamas that his mom got him last year – but he still looked cool. Kibum combed his fingers through his hair and changed to a fighting stance, opening his mouth in a silent yell before breaking into a fit of giggles.

He had dreamed of this moment for as long as he could remember. His father entertained him with stories about the magical school, telling him about how he and his mother met. He told Kibum to look for the place under the stairs leading to the Hufflepuff dorms where they had carved their initials.

Kibum promised he would, once he got there.

Sighing, Kibum pressed his father’s wand over his heart before he shuffled back over to his bed, flopping onto it. He slipped the wand beneath his pillow and grabbed the photograph on his nightstand. It was a portrait of his parents and Kibum when he was a baby – his father bending down to kiss Kibum’s forehead and then giving his mother a kiss on the cheek.

He missed them both terribly. Mother only passed through London on assignment from National Geographic – which wasn’t often, to be honest – or whenever she got time off for holidays. Father…he hadn’t seen in years. Not since Kibum moved away from South Korea to live with his grandmother. It was his father’s dying wish for Kibum to experience Hogwarts like he did when he was growing up.

“Kibummie?” Grandma called from outside his bedroom door. He set the portrait down on the nightstand and sat up, looking over when his grandmother opened the door. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Can’t eat,” he said, bouncing a little on his bed. “Too excited.”

Grandma laughed, and Nutmeg hooted again, his wings flapping with mild disdain. “Hush, Nutmeg,” they both said.

“That bird,” Grandma said, shaking her head, “is grouchier that Mr. Hendricks across the street.”

Kibum nodded and followed her down the stairs, sitting on a bar stool as she made herself a light breakfast. The tea poured itself and the jam slathered itself across the buttered scones with the back of a spoon. Grandma grabbed the plate and set it between her and Kibum, smiling when he started to eat one amidst his chatter about how excited he was.

By eight-thirty, they were out the door and on their way to King’s Cross station.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Now, remember, Kibummie,” Grandma said, smoothing his hair. “Be nice and respectful to the professors. Especially McGonagall.”

“She’s Headmaster now, Grandma.”

“Still, she was one of my closest friends when I went to school.” Kibum nodded, acquiescing. “Make us proud,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on his forehead. “You’ll do so well in Hufflepuff.”

“I’ll try, Grandma.” He looked up when the first whistle sounded.

“Goodbye, sweetie! Don’t forget to write! And don’t be afraid to make new friends!” she said as he ran to the steps of the nearest train car and stepped inside.

He hurried to the window and found her, waving goodbye. She blew him a kiss and he caught it, stuffing it into his pocket. Kibum looked up to see her reaction to his joke, but the Hogwarts Express had already pulled away from the platform. Instead, he saw nothing but the moors of the Scottish countryside.

Sighing, Kibum shoved his hands in his robe pockets and maneuvered around the other students who were chatting in the hall of the train car. He peeked inside the window of each seating compartment he passed, watching the other students interact. Some were chatting excitedly and showing off their new robes or wands to their friends, while others curled up in their seats, getting some sleep before the start of term.

“Anything from the trolley?” Kibum looked up at the sound of an elderly woman’s voice. The other students parted for her and the snack trolley to pass, Kibum included. He pressed up against the door of the next compartment, standing on his tiptoes to look at the treats. “Anything from the trolley, dears?”

Kibum fished around in pockets and grabbed a couple of Sickles. “Um, can I get two pumpkin pasties?” He put the Sickles in the jar at the front end of the trolley while she passed him his treats. “Thank you,” he said, giving her a tiny bow as she walked by.

The pasties were still warm. Smiling, Kibum smelled them, the scent of pumpkin, cinnamon, and clove reminding him of his birthday. His grandmother would always make these for him on the morning of his birthday, ever since he moved to London.

This would be his first birthday without her.

Kibum’s shoulders sank and he started walking down the hallway again, glancing into the next seating compartment and doing a double take.

Inside sat a boy, who looked to be about his age, sitting all by himself. He wasn’t wearing his robes like the other students, instead, he wore a pair of blue jeans and a rather oversized Manchester United hoodie. Kibum blinked several times, staring at him for a while. Was he a wizard? He glanced down at the backpack sitting between his legs and saw one of Ollivander’s wand boxes sticking out of the top zipper.

Kibum stuffed his pumpkin pasties into his robe pocket and knocked on the window. The boy inside jumped at the sound and looked over with wide eyes. He scooted across the bench and opened the door cautiously.

“Do you mind if I join you?” The boy nodded and Kibum closed the door behind him and sat on the bench across from him, sliding until he was right in front of him. “Hello!” The tips of the boy’s ears flushed as he smiled back at Kibum. “I’m Kibum. Kim Kibum. Who are you?”

“Minho,” he said, his voice quiet. Oh? Was he Korean too? He held out his hand, and Kibum shook it enthusiastically. “Do you know…Korea?”

Kibum blinked, wondering how long it had been since Minho moved to England. It couldn’t have been too long. His heart went out to Minho – poor kid must be so nervous and scared. Kibum smiled at Minho, thanking all the stars in the universe that his grandmother still insisted on speaking Korean around the house.

“Yes,” he said, Minho sitting up a little straighter when he switched to Korean. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Tears started welling up in Minho’s eyes, and he bit his bottom lip. Kibum’s eyes widened. Did he say something wrong? Any worries he had flitted away when Minho lunged across and tackled Kibum in a tight hug. Kibum blinked in surprise, patting Minho’s back when he felt him heave a heavy sigh.

“Sorry,” he said, rubbing his nose with the too-long sleeve of his hoodie as he released Kibum from his sudden hug. “I-it’s nice to meet you, too.” Minho started to go back over to his bench until Kibum grabbed his sleeve and glanced at the empty spot next to him. He took the seat and hugged his knees to his chest. “So,” he cleared his throat, “how long have you known you were a…a wizard?”

“All my life? Haven’t you?"

Minho shook his head, his chin rubbing against his knees. “Found out two months ago.”

“No!” Minho shied away when Kibum hit his shoulder out of surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…you’re kidding! Two months?”

“Well, I mean, I guess I always knew something was wrong with me, but…” he shrugged when his voice grew tighter. Minho rubbed his nose again, glancing over at Kibum.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Kibum said and Minho sighed.

“It’s just a lot to take in.”

“I can imagine.” Minho’s arms tightened around his legs and he buried his nose between his knees, taking a deep breath. Kibum fell silent, a little unsure of how to talk to Minho.

His best friend since he moved to London was a boy named Jonghyun, who lived next door to Kibum’s grandmother. He was a wizard too, and even attended Hogwarts last year – he had been a Ravenclaw. Jonghyun’s father moved them all to France during the summer, for work or whatever, and he was transferring to Beauxbaton’s. Jonghyun had also known his whole life that he was a wizard, so it had been easy to relate to him.

Wait.

Jonghyun had told Kibum all about Hogwarts this summer while they played with his puppy in Jonghyun’s backyard. He answered every question Kibum had and eased his worries and fears. Kibum glanced over at Minho, who was staring blankly at the other bench. Maybe he could do the same for Minho?

Kibum leaned forward, hooked his finger around the strap of Minho’s backpack, and pulled it toward them. Minho sat up, his brow furrowing. “Is that your wand?” he asked, pointing to the wand box. Minho nodded. “Can I see it?” Minho straightened his legs and reached over, grabbing the box and opening it. He tipped it so Kibum could see. “Oh, it’s pretty!”

Minho looked down at it, nodding. “It is.” His shoulders relaxed every so slightly as he replaced the lid and slipped it back into his backpack. “Do you have one?”

“Yeah! But it’s in my trunk. I can show you later.” Kibum reached into his pockets, feeling something soft. “Oh!” He pulled out the pumpkin pasties and brushed off a bit of lint. “Do you want one? They’re my favorite.”

Minho took the offered pastie and sniffed it before he took a bite. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “It tastes like pumpkins!”

Kibum coughed a laugh around his mouthful of pastie and covered it with his hand. “It’s good, right?” he asked, swallowing. Minho inhaled the rest of his pastie and licked the cinnamon and sugar glaze off his fingers when he finished.

“What’s…Hogwarts like?” Kibum shrugged, taking another bite. “You’ve never been?”

Kibum shook his head. “I’m a first year, too. My family and best friend all went, though.” Minho crossed his legs and turned on the bench to face Kibum. “Want me to tell you about it?” Minho nodded and Kibum mirrored him on the bench. “Well…”

He told Minho everything that came to mind, every little thing. Jonghyun had told him all about the first-year classes so he would know what to expect – Minho was the most excited about Herbology, which surprised Kibum. He told Minho about the different houses – “I’m going to be in Hufflepuff!” “I hope I am, too!” – and then the Hufflepuff common room.

By the time he was almost finished, the Hogwarts Express came to a stop. Kibum looked up and out the window to find that the sun was starting to set. “Jonghyun said that we arrive at the castle in boats.”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Kibum smiled, happy to see that Minho was relaxing a little bit. They both looked over to the door when they saw the other students milling past the window. “Should we go?” Minho asked, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I guess.” They both stood, stretching their arms and legs before Minho opened the door for Kibum to exit. He followed right behind him, his hand lightly touching Kibum’s arm so he didn’t lose him in the crowd.

“Firs’ years, this way!” Minho’s grip on Kibum’s arm tightened as they looked up at the huge, shaggy-haired man calling for the first years. Kibum hooked his arm in Minho’s and guided him over to Hagrid. The groundskeeper helped all the first years onto their boats and started them across the lake to the castle itself.

“Do you have your robes in your backpack?” Kibum whispered, glaring at one of the other first years who gave him a strange look for speaking Korean.

“Yeah. They might be a little wrinkled, though.”

“That’s okay.” Minho unzipped his backpack and Minho held it open for him to dig around inside it in the dark. He pulled them out after a minute and shook them out, saying a timid sorry to whoever he smacked in the back with his robe.

“You can wait until we get inside the castle.”

The breeze off the lake swept around them, Kibum’s teeth chattering as the chill settled into his bones. He rubbed his hands together, looking around. The setting sun painted the bellies of the clouds in warm oranges and peachy pinks.

Kibum took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Nothing to be nervous about, the sorting would be the easiest part. Minho, however, was sitting stiffly next to him, his shaking knees being his only movement. Kibum nibbled on the inside of his cheek and nudged Minho with his shoulder. He smiled when Minho looked over at him, and Minho relaxed a little, smiling back.

It wasn’t long until they landed at the docks, Hagrid giving them all instructions. Minho helped Kibum out of the boat and passed Kibum his backpack while he pulled on his robe over his hoodie. It fit a little awkwardly and Minho gave him a worried look, so Kibum pulled the hood out from underneath and arranged it on his shoulders.

They scampered after the other first years when they noticed that Hagrid had started to lead them inside the castle. Kibum, Minho, and all the other first years walked in a huddle behind Hagrid, taking in the grandiose sights of the castle with wide eyes and open mouths. They all bumped together once they came to a huge set of double doors.

A man with shimmery black robes stood at the door, regarded them all with a small smile. “Welcome, one and all. I am Professor O’Neely, Head of Gryffindor house. Once you step through these doors, you will begin your years of learning here at Hogwarts. First things first, you all will be sorted into your houses…are you excited?”

Kibum let out a yell with the others, the sound startling Minho, who jumped next to him. “Oh, right.” Kibum quickly translated as much as he could remember and missed the next thing Professor O'Neely said. He didn’t think it was that important though since the doors opened to let them inside the Great Hall.

Stars glittered brilliantly amongst the clouds on the ceiling of the Great Hall. Candles hovered haphazardly above the four tables that stretched the length of the hall. Each of the tables was filled with students, starting with Slytherin on the far left, then Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff on the far right. Kibum nudged Minho’s arm and pointed to the Hufflepuff table.

Minho nodded when the came to a stop as a group before the platform. On the platform sat a single stool, and atop of which as a tattered old hat. Kibum smiled and leaned over. “The Sorting Hat,” he whispered, and Minho’s brow furrowed.

Headmaster McGonagall got up and gave a short speech, but the excitement buzzing in Kibum’s ears blocked most of it out. He was actually here. At Hogwarts. Where his father stood. He rubbed his hands together, every nerve tingling as Professor O’Neely called out the first name.

“Jeffery Adams.” After a moment of deliberation from the Hat, he was sorted into Ravenclaw. Several other names were called – two Slytherins, a Hufflepuff, and three Gryffindors – before Professor O'Neely said, “Choi Minho.”

Minho hooked his shaking hands around the straps of his backpack and stepped out of the crowd and up to the stool. He gulped, his gaze meeting Kibum’s as he sat down, and squeezed his eyes shut. Professor O’Neely barely set the Hat down on Minho’s head before it proclaimed “HUFFLEPUFF!”

His eyes flew open and he found Kibum in the remaining first years, beaming at him. Kibum clapped, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Minho found a seat at the Hufflepuff table. He kept his eye on Minho, watching as Minho set his backpack on the seat next to him to save the spot for Kibum.

Kibum’s heart leaped in his chest when the first K name was called. He shuffled forward, waiting on the tips of his toes for “Kim Kibum.” Bounding up the steps, he took a seat on the stool and waited for the Hat to be set on his head.

“Hmm,” a gravelly voice said, startling Kibum. “Hmm, I see…I know just where to put you – SLYTHERIN!”

Kibum froze, his hands gripping the seat of the stool. What. No…

Professor O’Neely smiled kindly at him as he lifted the hat and helped him off the stool. Kibum gulped, stumbling as he stepped down off the platform, and started for the table at the far right. The first year Slytherins greeted him as he slid onto the bench, patting his back and returned their attentions to the rest of the Sorting.

Kibum’s hands shook as he combed his fingers through his hair. What would he even…His grandmother would be so disappointed in him.

He barely noticed the rest of the Sorting, or even the meal magically appearing before him. Kibum scooped some sort of food onto his plate but did not eat it, instead he pushed it around his plate with his fork.

Dinner soon concluded and then came the call from one of the professors that they should follow the Head Boy and Girl out of the Great Hall and to their common rooms. Kibum trudged behind the rest of the Slytherins, finding himself at the back of the group.

“Kibum!”

He blinked at the sound of his name, looking up to find Minho running to him. He wrapped Kibum in their second hug of the day, patting the back of his head when he buried his face in his shoulder and started to cry.

“Oh, don’t cry. Don’t cry. It’s okay.” Kibum whimpered and tightened his grip around Minho’s waist. “It’s gonna be okay. Right?”

Kibum took a shuddering breath and sniffed, pulling himself out of Minho’s arms. “Yeah,” he lied.

“Will I still be able to see you every day?” Minho asked, brushing away Kibum’s tears with his sweater paws.

“I think so,” he said, sniffing again. He looked back over his shoulder when the Head Boy called for him to follow. “I gotta go.” Kibum stood a little straighter and scrubbed his eyes with his fists. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, promise.” Minho jogged after the other Hufflepuffs and turned once he reached the corner, waving goodbye to Kibum. Once Minho was out of sight, Kibum shuffled after the other Slytherins, his heart sinking lower and lower with every step.


	3. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He searched the students already seated and found Minho quite easily. He sat at the back of the class by himself, his face buried in his arms on his desk.
> 
> Kibum sighed and broke out of the group, heading to Minho’s side and dropping his books on the desk. Minho jumped up, staring wide-eyed up at Kibum, who simply smiled. "Hi!" Minho beamed at him as he slid onto the bench next to him. "How’s class been for you so far?"
> 
> "Fun, I think? Mostly confusing."

“And this,” Charlie Watts, the Slytherin Head Boy, said as he pointed to a solid brick wall, “is the entrance to the common room. Low murmurs echoed in the dank hallway, and one of the girls from the back of the group of first years asked _where_? Charlie flourished his wand, the tip illuminating as he pointed to a specific brick. 

Squinting, Kibum could see a tiny carving of a coiled snake in the top left corner of the gray brick. He would probably have to stand on his tiptoes to reach it for a while.

Charlie tapped it three times, and said, “Jade serpent.” The wall opened much like the brick wall in the back of the Leaky Cauldron leading to Diagon Alley. A chorus of _whoas_ sounded around Kibum and he joined in as the bricks shuffled to reveal the Slytherin common room. His heart sank to his churning stomach as he stepped inside.

Green was his first impression. There were two huge stained-glass windows placed on either side of a crackling fireplace, a cool light glowing behind the windows and covering the stone floors in a mottled green light. Weapons adorned the walls, from spears to swords to bows with the arrows to foils. Above the mantel hung a large crest of a hissing snake, its eye the largest emerald Kibum had ever seen.

Darkness was Kibum’s second impression. The stone ceiling hung low, stalactites protruding from it. Though light came from the fireplace and the windows and even the torches on the walls, Kibum shivered, glancing around with wide eyes at the shadows that danced along the walls. He had heard that the Slytherin common room was an actual dungeon, and now that he was inside, he fully believed it.

He toed off his shoes and picked them up before he took another step inside, trotting to catch up with the other first years. As soon as he stepped out of the entrance, the bricks shuffled back into position, closing them in for the night. Kibum gulped and bit the inside of his cheek.

“This way,” Charlie said, waving his hand to gather the excited first years from exploring and bothering the other Slytherin students lounging about the common room. “Boys, follow me!”

“Girls,” Trisha Mc’Mann, the Head Girl, “with me. Let’s go!” The girls split off from the group, following Trisha down the stairs on the right and disappearing into wavering torchlight.

Kibum trudged behind the rest, taking one last look at the common room – his new home – before following them down the stairs. “The first year’s dorm is the first door on the left.” Charlie pointed to the closed door before thumbing over his shoulder to the door behind him. “This is the seventh year’s dorm, so if you ever need anything, I and my classmates will be right there. Rules here are pretty simple. Don’t go into the girls’ dorm area for any reason and be quiet and respectful of others. That’s it.”

Charlie reached around them, twisting the nob and opening the door for them. “Go ahead and get settled in. Again, any questions, my door is always open.” The first years filed in after Kibum, all huddling together and looking back up at Charlie, who gave them all a warm smile. “I know it’s exciting to finally be here, but get some rest! Classes start early tomorrow morning.” He waved goodnight and closed the door behind him, leaving the first years alone for the first time.

“So…”

“I guess we should…introduce ourselves.”

Kibum found his luggage, the gold _KK_ painted on the side of his trunk. He went over to his new bed and found two Slytherin robes and uniforms folded neatly at the foot of his bed. He sat down next to them and heaved a sigh.

“I guess I’ll start,” the tall, dark-skinned boy said. “I’m Aaron Davies. My mum was also in Slytherin.”

“That’s cool. I’m Callum. Callum Stewart,” a pale, freckled, red-headed boy said, smiling brightly at the group. “My mum was in Slytherin, too, but my dad was a Ravenclaw.”

“My sister is in Ravenclaw!” a boy with a mass of brunet curls said, his blue eyes shining brightly. “Fredrick Murphy.” He grinned at Kibum, who then sighed.

“Kim Kibum,” he said, forcing a smile. They looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to divulge his family information, but he couldn’t. His throat grew tight and words were scarce. It was all he could do not to cry.

The other two boys introduced themselves, but Kibum could not be bothered to listen to them. He could find out their names later. Sniffing, he rubbed his nose with the sleeve of his plain black robe, glancing up to find that Fredrick was watching him with a curious expression. Kibum lowered his eyes and slid off his bed, padding in socked feet over to his trunk and opening it. He fished around inside, stuffing his dad’s old Hufflepuff gear to the side before anyone else saw it, and found what he was looking for – his dad’s old wand.

“Whoa…is that yours?” Aaron asked, scooting forward on his bed as Kibum closed his trunk.

Kibum shook his head. “It’s my dad’s.”

“He let you take it? Won’t he need it?”

“Dude,” said one of the boy’s who earlier Kibum didn’t hear his name.

“Oh…” Aaron sat back on his bed, his eyes widening when Kibum looked up at him. “I’m sorry.”

“It…it’s okay. You didn’t know,” Kibum mumbled, tucking the wand under his new pillow.

“This is my wand!” Fredrick said, whipping his out from his trunk and brandishing it like a rapier. The other boys giggled excitedly and hurried to show off their own wands. Part of him wanted to join in, really, but for the moment, his exhaustion was settling in and all he wanted to do was sleep.

Maybe when he woke up, this would have all been a dream. He would still be at home with his grandmother, and they would leave for King’s Cross and he would arrive at Hogwarts and be sorted into Hufflepuff where he belonged.

While the other boys roughhoused on the bear-skin rug, Kibum opened his trunk again – dodging one of Callum’s kicks – and got out his pajamas and changed into them quickly. He slipped under the covers but didn’t lie down. Instead, he watched the other boys play until there was a knock at the door. They all froze as it opened, revealing Charlie.

“Light’s out. Get some sleep, guys.”

He closed the door behind him and Fredrick and Callum untangled themselves while the others found their pajamas in their luggage, changing into them quickly and tucking themselves into bed. The candles in the glass lanterns around the room dimmed until their light was almost nonexistent. Kibum rolled over on his side, tucking one of his hands underneath his pillow and grabbing his father’s wand.

“I’m so excited,” Callum said in a hoarse whisper.

“Me too,” one of the other’s said, Kibum couldn’t tell who. “Go to sleep.”

Kibum’s hand tightened around his father’s wand and he squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe Minho was right…maybe everything would be all right in the morning.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Minho.” A large hand clamped down on his shoulder, shaking him gently. “Minho, it’s time to wake up.” Minho pulled his head out from under his pillow, squinting at the blurry guy standing over him. “It’s almost time for breakfast.” Minho blinked several times, and the guy dropped his hand from his shoulder as he moved to sit up.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked around the room. Sunlight streamed through the small round windows on either side of the beds, dust glittering in the warm beams. Just outside the windows by Minho’s bed was what appeared to be Hogwarts’ backyard – grass and dandelions and wild violets as far as the eye could see. There was a proud willow tree almost out of view, its branches dancing lazily in the slight breeze.

“Are you hungry?” Minho looked up at the Hufflepuff Head Boy – Rhys was his name if he remembered right – and nodded. “All right, get up. Or you’ll be late for your first class.”

“Okay.” Rhys nodded and stepped out of the dorm room, glancing back at Minho before closing the door. Minho slid out of bed, shivering when his bare feet hit the cool hardwood floor, and hurried over to the door to make sure that it was completely closed. He relaxed, then, and went over to his dresser where he had already unpacked his belongings. He found his new uniform easily – he had placed it on top of his other clothes – and laid it all out on his bed.

Minho changed into it quickly, not wanting to have one of his dormmates come in on him while he was undressed. He fumbled with the tie, frowning. His mom would always tie it for him before he left for school and neither she nor his father had taught him how to do so yet. Worrying his bottom lip, Minho tucked it into his robe pocket. He grabbed his wand and class schedule from the dresser and then his backpack full of books and his shoes and rushed for the door.

Last night, when the first years arrived at the Hufflepuff common room on the heels of Rhys, Minho’s impression had been that it was warm and inviting. Now, in the bright light of day, he saw that it was rather accurate. It was a large round room, brick walls painted a soft beige and wood paneling that matched the floors. Potted plants adorned the walls, vines stretching their tendrils as far as they could reach.

Minho stepped out of the round doorway leading to the dormitories and into the room, adjusting the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. He tossed his shoes on the floor once he reached the main entrance to the Hufflepuff common room and slipped into them. He crawled into the open hole in the wall and crept along until he reached the closed entrance. Tentatively, he pressed on the wood before him until it gave way and opened for him.

The side of the barrel closed once he stepped completely out of it. Minho blinked at it, and fished into his back pocket for his wand, tapping to the rhythm of _Helga Hufflepuff_ like Rhys showed them last night. The barrel opened again, and Minho relaxed, happy with himself that he remembered the password. He closed the door and looked both ways down the empty corridor, trying to remember which way to go.

To his left came the echo sound of chatter and laughter, so Minho headed towards it.

Students milled around the entrance to the Great Hall, whether entering or exiting, Minho was not sure. He bowed slightly to them as he passed and once inside, he searched for a spot to sit. It was an overwhelming sea of black robes. Minho blinked several times and glanced to the left and spotted Kibum’s face in the mass of strangers. He saw Minho too, apparently, because he waved.

Minho grabbed the straps of his backpack and hurried over, sliding into the empty space on the bench next to him. “Hi!”

“Hello!”

“How’d you sleep?”

Kibum shrugged and looked back to his half-eaten plate of food. “Okay. How about you?”

“Okay, too.”

Kibum sniffed a laugh, smiling at Minho for a second before taking another bite of food. Minho looked around the table and found Kibum’s housemates watching the pair of them incredulously. He scooted a little closer to Kibum and tried to ignore their stares. He fished into his pocket and grabbed his schedule and placed it on the table between them. Kibum pulled it toward him, looking it over as he nibbled on a piece of jellied toast.

“Kibum, who’s your friend?”

They both looked up. “Minho.” The tall guy said something quickly in English, too quickly for Minho to grasp the meaning. He glanced at Kibum, waiting for his translation. Kibum nodded slowly and leaned over. “Apparently, you’re not allowed to sit here. You have to sit at the Hufflepuff table.”

“Oh…” Minho grabbed his schedule. “Okay.” He got up from the table and started the long walk to his table at the far end of the hall.

Behind him, there was the sound of running footsteps and then a hand latched onto his arm. Kibum turned him around and grabbed the schedule from his hand. “I have History of Magic during the fourth period, too. We can sit together then.” Minho’s eyebrows raised and he smiled, Kibum smiling back. “See you later!”

He let go of Minho’s arm and went back to his table to finish his breakfast, and Minho turned, his steps light as he went over to the Hufflepuff table.

* * * * * * * * *

Kibum smoothed his parchment out on the desk for the sixth time, frowning as it started to roll up again. He reached into his desk and pulled out his _Standard Book of Spells_ , Grade 1 and lay it open at the top. “There.”

“Having trouble with your parchment, too?” Fredrick, who was his desk mate, asked him.

“Yeah. Think I fixed it, though.”

Fredrick looked as though he was about to say something else when someone from the front of the classroom cleared their throat. They both looked up, and Kibum’s eyes widened when he saw the tiniest man he had ever seen. He blinked. This must be Professor Flitwick.

“Greetings, new students. I hope you all are ready for an exciting year of practicing and honing your magical abilities.” He paused as if waiting for a response. A weak applause sounded around him, and Kibum eventually joined in, stopping when Flitwick tapped his wand on the podium. “In my class, we will be studying charmwork – including charm theory, the history of certain spells, wand movements and proper pronunciation of the spells you will be learning.”

Kibum scooted forward in his seat, watching Flitwick in anticipation as he stepped off his high-back chair and onto a stack of books, and then another until he was standing at one of the chalkboards behind his desk.

“No, no, set your wands aside. We won’t be working with them for quite a while.” Kibum looked down, a little surprised to see his wand in his hand. He didn’t remember grabbing it. Pouting slightly, he set it on the top of the desk and returned his attention to Flitwick, who was writing _Wingardium Leviosa_ in large, loopy cursive letters on the chalkboard.

Oh.

Would Minho be able to read his handwriting? Or even understand the class? Kibum hummed to himself and dipped his quill in the inkwell between him and Fredrick and started taking notes in Hangul. He felt Fredrick’s eyes on him as he dipped his quill again, but Kibum ignored him, instead focusing on translating the history of the levitation charm.

“I didn’t know you were Chinese,” Fredrick whispered, still watching him.

Kibum’s hand hovered over the parchment, ink dripping once, twice before he looked over at his desk mate. “This...I...I’m Korean.”

Fredrick shrugged and leaned away from Kibum, returning his attention to Flitwick. “Now, if you’d open your textbooks to page five you’ll see the illustration of Hobart’s first public demonstration of the levitation charm.” Kibum flipped through the pages, glancing at the hand-drawn picture of a rotund man hovering by the stained-glass window of an old church before going back to his note-taking.

Once Flitwick stepped back up to the podium and told them to close their textbooks, Kibum’s hand ached. He had filled almost the entire parchment with notes for Minho. He blew on the ink to dry it before he rolled up the parchment and grabbed his book. When he caught up to the other Slytherins, he clenched and unclenched his fist, hoping to relieve some of the ache before his next class.

* * * * * * * * * *

The chatter of Minho’s fellow Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors seemed abnormally loud in the greenhouse. Minho sat still, hugging his full backpack to his chest, as he watched them all interact easily with each other. The Gryffindor girl next to him asked him a question, but he did not understand her. Her eyes were bright and cheery and her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a messy top bun. Minho smiled back and nodded, hoping that was a proper response to whatever it was she asked. It seemed to be since her smile bloomed into a grin and she turned back to her friend.

Should he have even come here?

He could barely understand anyone, which would seriously impede his studies...maybe he should just write his parent’s and see if they can come home. He would never fit in with these people.

Minho bit the inside of his cheek, sighing quietly, and hugged his backpack tighter.

_Ting-a-ling._

Everyone turned to look at the front door at the sound of the little golden bell above the greenhouse door. In came a stout old woman, her eyes warm and her smile kind. Minho relaxed a little when he saw her. She blended in with the plants around the greenhouse, her robes a mossy and sage green and her pointed cap a dusty brown with small twigs and flowers and bits of moss around the rim.

“Hello, students. I’m Professor Sprout. Welcome to Herbology!” She went on, but she lost Minho after that. He caught a word or two: magical plants and medicine, mostly. She instructed them to get out their books, Minho assumed, since everyone else was doing so. He glanced at the book the Gryffindor girl got out and dug through his backpack to find the matching one.

He sighed in relief when the Latin letters changed to Hangul at his touch, the title reading, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. Kibum told him about this class on the train, and Minho had been excited about it at the time. He liked plants. His mom had a huge garden at their home in Korea and he would sit out there with her during the summer and weed around the flowers while she pruned the bushes.

Professor Sprout was now going around the room and pointing at different plants, no doubt identifying them to the students. Minho flipped through the book, looking for an index of some sort so he could follow along.

By the end of the class, Minho was excited, though confused. Less so than he was expecting if he were being honest, but still confused. He packed up his book and hurried out the door, giving Professor Sprout a shy smile and a tiny bow as he passed her by the door. She nodded back and Minho hurried out the door, jogging up the dirt path and catching up to his fellow Hufflepuffs before they reached the door to the castle.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kibum tucked the sparse Herbology notes he managed to take into his textbook and placed it atop the stack of his other textbook. He hefted them with a grunt and grinned at Professor Sprout as he rushed out of the greenhouse and to the castle after the other Slytherins and the Ravenclaws.

History of Magic was next – which he had heard from literally everyone that it was the dullest class at Hogwarts – and he was excited. He hoped that Minho was saving him a seat. If he was there, that was. If not, he would have to save him one.

Kibum hoped Minho was doing all right today. It was a lot for him to take in, and he had been preparing for Hogwarts his whole life. Kibum couldn’t even imagine how overwhelmed Minho must be feeling at the moment. Hopefully, his diligent note-taking would help him, at least a little bit.

Three floors up and two miss-directions from the moving staircases later, Kibum found himself at the seventy-second classroom, where History of Magic took place. He filed inside with the mass of Slytherins and Ravenclaws, and he stepped up on his tiptoes to see over their heads. He searched the students already seated and found Minho quite easily.

He sat at the back of the class by himself, his face buried in his arms on his desk. Kibum sighed and broke out of the group, heading to Minho’s side and dropping his books on the desk. Minho jumped up, staring wide-eyed up at Kibum, who simply smiled.

“Hi!” Minho beamed at him as he slid onto the bench next to him. “How’s class been for you so far?”

“Fun, I think? Mostly confusing.”

Kibum offered him a sympathetic smile before opening his books and taking out his notes. “I thought that might be the case, so, here.” He passed them over to Minho, who then unrolled his notes from Potions. “It’s not much, but it’s the best I can d – “ His breath was knocked out of him as Minho pulled him into a tight hug. Kibum looked over Minho’s shoulder at the group of Gryffindor boys watching them with odd expressions. He patted Minho’s back then, glaring at the Gryffindors until they looked away, and waited for him to relaxed against him before he pulled away.

“Thanks,” Minho said, sniffing. He looked back at the parchment, his eyes scanning the Potions notes again. A swirling gray mass behind the desk at the front of the classroom materialized into a man, Minho looking up with Kibum nudged his ribs with his elbow. “Woah!”

“Class, take out _A History of Magic_ and turn to page three,” he said, his voice droning and monotone. “Let’s begin.”

Kibum unrolled another length of parchment and got out his quill and ink before reaching for his textbook. Minho dug into his backpack for a notebook and pencil and sat still, pencil poised over the lined paper while he waited for Kibum to start taking notes.

They started out strong, Kibum whispering terms that Minho expression confusion at, but eventually the dull voice of professor got the better of them. Minho started nodding off first, his head bobbing as he woke himself up only to doze off a couple seconds later. Kibum rested his head on Minho’s shoulder – just for a second – but woke up when the other students snapped their textbooks closed and shuffled out of the classroom.

Minho’s head was resting on top of his until Kibum started to sit up, the movement rousing Minho. “I heard that this class was boring but god…I wasn’t expecting that.”

Yawning, Minho laughed. “I needed the nap I think.”

“Me too.” Kibum cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms out in front of him. “We should probably head to lunch.”

“Yeah.”

Kibum rubbed his eyes and started gathering his things, Minho following suit and stuffing them all back in his backpack. He stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and waiting for Kibum to join him. Once he did, they started making their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

“So,” Kibum said, licking his lips before glancing over at Minho. “I was thinking. Would you want my help with studying?”

“W-with…English…and stuff?” Minho asked, grabbing onto the banister as the staircase shifted.

“Well, yeah. English and school work.”

“You’d do that?” Kibum smiled and Minho’s shoulders relaxed a little. He readjusted the strap over his shoulder. “That’s really nice of you.”

“We’ll have to find someplace to study, though, because I don’t think we’ll be able to go into each other’s Houses.” Minho’s brow furrowed. “But, we’ll figure it out.”

“Okay.”

Once they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, they both paused at the door, looking to their tables at the opposite ends of the room. 

“Tell you what, if there’s nothing happening after dinner tonight, we should look for a place to study.” Minho nodded and grinned when Kibum looked over at him. “See you after lunch!” Kibum said, watching Minho dart off to the Hufflepuff table and sit down before he started over to the Slytherins.


	4. Homesick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why hadn’t his parents responded to his letters yet?
> 
> He had sent them dozens, several a week in fact. He would trek up to the owlery with Kibum when he wanted to send his grandma or mom something. Geum-nun would take the letter in her talons and fly away with Nutmeg -- but she never once came to the Great Hall. Minho’s heart sank every morning when he heard the flapping wings of the owls, and this morning was no exception.

A cacophony of fluttering wings drew the attention of nearly every student in the Great Hall, Kibum included. He slid forward in anticipation, watching the mass of owls as they flew into the room in search of their young owners. He spotted Nutmeg as soon as the small, tawny owl appeared in the window – his grandmother’s bright red ribbon binding the package instantly recognizable in the light of the morning sun.

Finally.

It had been about a week since his last care package from his grandmother and, because of that, he and Minho had been out of studying snacks for three days. 

Nutmeg released the package before he landed on the table, pecking lightly at Kibum’s hand. “Hey, Meg,” he said, patting his owl’s soft head fondly. “Good job.” Nutmeg flew off then, back to the owlery with the others. 

“Woah! What are those?” Callum asked, leaning across the table to inspect the Muggle treats Analecia Torr pulled out of her package from her mum. She peeled back the packaging one of the Aero Bars and broke it into pieces, offering it to the other first years closest to her. 

“Thanks,” Kibum said and stuffed the segment into his mouth as he unwrapped his care package. He sputtered in surprise, almost spitting the Muggle treat out across the table when the chocolate started fizzing against his tongue. Swallowing with what he hoped was a subtle grimace, he looked over to see Analecia watching Kibum and his fellow Slytherins. Kibum coughed. “It was…interesting.”

She giggled and took a bite of the Double Decker candy bar. “Why else do you think I shared?”

Kibum snorted and resumed unwrapping his own care package.

 _My darling Kibum~_ the letter began. Kibum flushed a bright pink, taking the parchment out of the package and holding it in his lap beneath the table so he could read it with a little bit of privacy. _I’m glad you’re enjoying your classes. Nothing is more exciting than your first year at Hogwarts. I hope you’re taking time outside of your studies to make all sorts of new friends._

Kibum glanced up from the letter and at his dorm and classmates sitting around him. They were nice and he was enjoying getting to know them, but he wasn’t sure if he considered them friends yet. Growing up, it had been hard for him to keep friends, what with how frequently he moved around the world. From Korea, to Canada, to America, and now England…it had been rough. Jonghyun was his first real friend in England, but then even he moved away.

He sat up a little straighter, looking over the other Slytherins and the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws to find Minho at the Hufflepuff table. Minho sat a little off from the group, still interacting with his fellow Hufflepuffs by laughing as one of them told a story. Kibum smiled, his gaze growing distant until he blinked and brought himself back to the present.

Minho was the closet friend he’d ever had, even though they’d known each other for barely a month. 

_I baked some extra butterbeer cookies to share with your friends, but you can keep the pumpkin pasties all to yourself. I know they’re your favorite._ Kibum licked his lips and pulled open the package the peek inside. 

There were two little brown bags, one fuller than the other, and a small tin dosirak. He tapped the lid with the tip of his finger, smiling. Still warm. Grandma always enchanted the dosirak to stay hot until he was ready to eat it. He wanted to open it up and look inside, but he was worried that it might break the spell. Only one spoon though, as usual. He and Minho would just have to share again. 

In addition to the homemade food, there was also a couple of chocolate frogs and a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. He’d have to make Minho try those again – Kibum secretly hoped that he’d get another earwax one just so he could see Minho’s disgusted expression again. He chuckled to himself as he pulled out the jelly beans, his hand freezing in mid-air when he noticed a camera lens staring back at him.

 _Also_ , his grandmother said as he returned to the letter, looking for an explanation. _I found this while I was rummaging through the attic for things to give to the church. It’s the first camera I got your mother, and she used it to document her time at Hogwarts. I thought you might enjoy doing the same._ She signed the letter as she always did, _With all my love…_

Kibum folded the letter tightly and slipped it between the brown bags before he grabbed the camera out of the box and pulled the package to his chest as he excused himself from the Slytherin table. As calmly as he could, so as not to jostle his new treats, he made his way past the other house tables to Hufflepuff’s. 

He slid into the empty space beside Minho, who had just now noticed his presence, as he had been far too engrossed in one of his dormmate’s tales. His already big eyes widened and he hurried to swallow his mouthful of toast and eggs and gravy. “Hey,” he said, hiccupping the short greeting.

“I got more snacks,” Kibum said with a grin, sliding the package over for Minho to inspect. Also, my grandma sent me this,” he hooked his arm around Minho’s neck and pulled him closer as he held out the camera to capture the moment. Minho smiled instinctively, as did Kibum, and he pressed the tiny button at the top.

_Click!_

Kibum blinked away the imprint of the flash on his vision and Minho rubbed his eyes. He released Minho from his hold as the camera made a soft whirring sound, both transfixed by the sight of what looked like a piece of paper with a large black block on it spitting out the front of the camera.

“Oh, it’s a…a…” Minho’s brow furrowed, and he said _polaroid_ in Korean. Kibum’s eyes widened in recognition, saying the word in English and Minho repeating it. Kibum nodded when he got the pronunciation right and patted his back in silent praise.

He pulled the undeveloped picture from the front of the camera, watching the black turn to a less solid gray. Minho exclaimed at the slight movement that started to appear with the color and huddled closer to Kibum as the picture came to life.

_Riiiing!_

Both boys jumped at the sound of the bell – they only had five minutes to get to their first class. Kibum shoved the polaroid into the box and tied it back up. “I don’t think I have enough time to head back to my dorm,” he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. Minho brought his backpack up onto the table, his textbooks clunking heavily on the tabletop. “Are you sure?”

“No. I just wanted to show you my backpack that you’ve seen a hundred times.”

Kibum punched his arm with an amused roll of his eyes and Minho grinned at him “See you after lunch!” he called over his shoulder as he darted back to the Slytherin table to collect his own textbooks.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The screech of chalk against the blackboard brought Minho, the other Hufflepuffs, and the Ravenclaws to attention. All of them looked to Professor O’Neely as he continued writing, undisturbed by the noise. Minho squinted at the cursive script on the board and pretended to scribble in his notebook along with the others as they diligently took notes. 

He wasn’t sure, but he thought O’Neely was talking about gnomes. That was what the last illustration in his _Defensive Magical Theory_ textbook was about. Gnomes were squat little creatures, their head as big as their body with warts and wire-y hair poking out in every direction. Minho’s nose wrinkle in disgust when he flipped back to the illustration.

O’Neely droned on, and Minho was sure that it was interesting, but it was hard to focus when he could only understand a word or a sentence here and there. Sighing, he flipped another couple pages back, trying to find the picture of the werewolf he had seen a couple days ago. Once he found it, the next page flipped itself over to reveal the photograph that Kibum took earlier.

Minho grabbed the picture, holding it gingerly in his palm and watching it in awe. Kibum’s arm tightened around his neck and pulled them closer together. His own smile grew in the photograph and he looked from Kibum to the camera. Then, a bright flash and Minho watched as Kibum blinked and his own smile faded ever so slightly. 

The scene had reset and started again.

Minho watch it six times in full before he felt the eyes of his Ravenclaw deskmate on him. He flipped the photograph over and tucked it back into his textbook.

Defense Against the Dark Arts ended soon enough and Minho collected his things, stuffing them into his tightly-packed backpack. He froze when he saw the red ribbon holding Kibum’s care package together. Gulping, he zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, following after the Hufflepuffs on their way to Charms.

Why hadn’t his parents responded to his letters yet?

He had sent them dozens, several a week in fact. He would trek up to the owlery with Kibum when he wanted to send his grandma or mom something. Geum-nun would take the letter in her talons and fly away with Nutmeg -- but she never once came to the Great Hall. Minho’s heart sank every morning when he heard the flapping wings of the owls, and this morning was no exception. 

If it were Minseok, then...no. Minho pinched his arm through his robe until he winced, driving away the thought momentarily. 

He took a deep breath as he dropped his backpack on the floor by his desk and settled into his seat next to his desk and dormmate, Finnigan Reilly. He was ripping strips out of his _Standard Book of Spells_ and rolling them into tiny balls before flicking them off their desk into the bushy mass of the Gryffindor girl's hair before them.

Flitwick stepped up to the podium as Finnigan peeled off another strip. They were still studying the Levitation spell. Minho looked around as everyone else brought out their wands -- a first for Charms class. His hand trembled as he reached into his backpack for his cedar wand and he rolled it back and forth between his fingers.

“Win-gar-dium-le-vi-oh-sa,” he said slowly under his breath, repeating it over and over again exactly as Kibum had taught him. He could do this. 

Flitwick said something -- he had a hard time understanding his higher pitched voice -- and Minho glanced around to see what the others were doing. They set their wands down on their desks and Minho copied them, folding his hands together over it. 

“Wingardium Leviosa,” Flitwick said and the class followed with Minho a second behind. The two Gryffindor girls ahead of him turned around and giggled, Minho shrinking a little in his seat. Flitwick nodded, smiling, and went to the end of the line of desk and passed the first student a bag. The class recited the spell again after Flitwick.

In the bag, there were individual white feathers. Once Minho got his, he twirled it against his cheek, smiling at the soft sensation. It calmed him, if only a little, and he placed it on his desk like Finnigan did.

Flitwick was back behind his podium and tapping his wand on it. “All right, do you remember the movements?” Minho picked up his wand and did a slow swish-and-flick in the air. The others did the same and Flitwick clapped happily. “Go ahead and pick up your wands, now, and try the incantation and the motion together.”

Minho gulped. He stared down at his feather, listening to Finnigan repeat the spell three times before his feather started to float. He gripped his wand tightly, did the motion, and said the spell. The feather sat completely still.

Minseok would have done this, first try. 

Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes and he bit the inside of his lip. He blinked them away and tried again. And again...and again. Class ended and the other students left for lunch, leaving Minho behind to stare at his feather. His wand was in his lap, having rolled there after he dropped it, and his head was in his hands. 

Was he even a wizard? Could he actually do this?

Maybe there was another eleven-year-old wizard named Choi Minho running around out there in England and Minho got his letter by mistake. Maybe Minseok was actually the wizard of the family and the letter to Minho was just addressed wrong. Maybe...maybe he should just go home and stop pretending like he belonged here. 

He sucked in a deep breath and tried to ignore the trembling in his bottom lip. “Mr. Choi?” Minho looked up at the sound of Flitwick’s voice -- he hadn’t realized that he was still in the room. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” he lied, sniffing as he started to pack his things. 

“Are you sure? You were hitting yourself.”

Ah, that explained the slight ache at the crown of his head. “I’m okay.”

Flitwick watched him -- Minho could feel his gaze -- as he finished packing his things. Once he was almost to the door of the classroom, Flitwick cleared his throat. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Mr. Choi.” Minho nodded and left the room, passing by the Great Hall on his way to his house. 

The chatter of the students inside was noisy and obnoxious, and Minho was honestly not in the mood for it. He unpacked his backpack once he was in the safety of his room, refilling it with his afternoon class books and Kibum’s package. 

Kibum...

Minho turned and went over to the mirror by the door. He wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand and dried the tears he didn’t remember crying. He smacked his cheeks once, twice...he couldn’t let Kibum know that he had been crying. Kibum might think he was stupid and not want to be his friend anymore. Minho’s eyes welled at the thought, and he smacked his cheeks again, hoping to maybe scare away the unwelcome tears.

He checked his appearance three more times until he felt that he looked all right enough to be seen. Once he grabbed his backpack, he was out the door and back in the open corridor. He made his way down to the Great Hall and stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at his feet, still wary to go inside. From the sounds of it, lunch was wrapping up and they’d all be going to their next class anyway. It was only a matter of time, now, until...

“Min-hooo!” Kibum called out happily, linking their arms together once he reached him. Minho grinned at him before returning his attention to the ground. “Did you eat? I didn’t see you in there.” 

Minho just shrugged and Kibum smacked his shoulder. “Hey!” Kibum clicked his tongue and shook his head as he grabbed Minho’s shoulder and turned him around to dig into his backpack. He rummaged in there for quite a while, long enough for Minho to try and turn around. “What are you doi -- “

“Shh.” Soon enough, Minho heard Kibum zipping up his backpack. He came around to his side again and handed him a pumpkin pastie. “You have to eat something for lunch. You won’t be able to focus in class.”

He took it and nibbled on the folded edge of the dough. “Thanks.”

Kibum smiled, nodding down the corridor, and Minho trailed after him as headed down the hall to the Transfiguration classroom. The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Minho, which was all right. He could just look at Kibum’s notes later and figure out what he missed today. 

Minho wasn’t hungry at dinner either so he skipped it as well, choosing instead to stay in his room. He laid on his bed and watched the time tick, tick, tick by on the alarm clock by his bed, slowly sitting up and rubbing the top of his head once it read _7:55 pm_.

He found Kibum waiting for him on the seventh floor under the unnecessarily large tapestry of trolls doing ballet. His backpack shifted against his back as he came to a stop by Kibum’s side. Kibum squinted, looking him over. Minho pursed his lips and looked away, instead watching the wooden door as it materialized in the solid stone wall. Once the lock unclicked, Kibum stepped forward and opened the door, pushing it open for Minho to enter first.

It was an old storage closet that they discovered in their first week here. They had been on the hunt after they finished classes for a place for them to study privately. It appeared to them one day when they were making fun of the tapestry -- Minho had been twirling like one of the trolls when Kibum noticed the door in the wall that had not been there before. 

Since then, they met there every night at eight.

Minho crouched on the floor, unpacking his backpack and Kibum’s package, while Kibum dropped his rolls of parchment on the shelf and started lighting the candles. 

“How was your day?” Kibum asked, his voice a little more subdued than normal, as he unrolled his parchment.

Minho passed him his package and nodded. “Okay. What about your’s?”

Kibum squinted again. “Great.” Minho crossed his legs and leaned back against the wall. “Which class do you want to start with?” He simply shrugged and Kibum sighed. “Let’s go with Charms.” Minho’s heart sank as he sifted through his textbooks to find his _Standard Book of Spells_. Kibum grabbed the dosirak out of his package and shook it vigorously before tapping it on his knee and grabbing the spoon. 

“W-were you able to lift the feather?” Minho asked, his stomach growling when Kibum opened the tin. 

“Yup!” He said around his first bite, passing it to Minho. “Took me a couple of tries, but yeah. You?” Minho’s chin quivered and he looked own at the dosirak in his hands, shrugging. “Oh,” Kibum said, his voice soft. He patted Minho’s shoulder and shifted until he sat next to him. “Is that what’s been bothering you all day?”

“Sorta,” Minho said, his voice coming out in a kind of blubber. He grimaced and sniffed, knocking his head back against the wall. Kibum’s hand was soon at the back of his head, rubbing the spot where he hit the wall. The silent action made Minho lose what little control he did have over his tears. “I guess...I guess I’m just a little homesick. I miss my f-family. And -- “ he tried to knock his head against the wall, but Kibum’s hand cushioned it. “I’m probably just tired.”

“Probably. But that’s okay.” Minho sniffed and looked down at the dosirak, his tears welling up again. “You can finish that if you want.”

They didn’t study much that night. 

Actually, they didn’t study at all. Kibum kept asking him questions about his friends and his favorite things back home in Korea while he ate. By the time they closed the door and went their separate ways for the day, Minho’s heart felt just a little bit lighter.

The next time Kibum received a care package, there was a second dosirak and spoon inside...just for Minho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the Minho hitting himself bits...do you all remember when he was on [_Splash_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKjb8VuYh3Q)? @ the 2:36m mark, he hits himself on the head and face, and that is what I was referring too...I've seen several other gifs and whatever of it but I feel like it's important...to me it is, at least.


	5. Hallowe'en

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho darted ahead, taking Kibum’s outstretched hand as he took them off the path and into the grass. He let go once they were almost to the Forbidden Forest, both coming to a stop in the shadows of the trees. Minho bent, holding his knees, and breathed through his nose and out his mouth like his dad taught him. Kibum leaned against him, his arm draped across Minho’s back, as he tried to catch his breath.
> 
> “You’re too fast,” Kibum said, and Minho laughed.
> 
> “Sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!!!! I hope you all had a great day today and that you enjoy the new chapter!

An excited buzz hung in the air of the Great Hall on Halloween morning. Kibum yawned, which spurred his dormmates to do the same. They had gotten maybe two hours of sleep last night – what with all the decorating they did in their room.

Callum and Travis grabbed as many decorations as they could grab from the common room while everyone else was busy. Aaron pulled strings of Muggle twinkle lights that his dad bought for him out of his trunk. Once Charlie came by to make sure they were all asleep, they jumped out of their beds and decorated their room with as much orange and black as they could manage.

Kibum had spent most of the time sitting cross-legged on the floor and untangling the twinkle lights in the dark. He grabbed his _Standard Book of Spells_ from beneath his bed to search for a spell to light them without electricity. _Lumos_ worked, and once the lights were strung around the room, they all sat back to look at their handiwork.

The lights flickered softly on and off, illuminating the spaces between their beds. A Jack-o-lantern sat on the dresser, a warm flame lighting the inside, with a cluster of smaller pumpkins surrounding it. It was too dark to make out the other stolen decorations they had put up, so they went to bed, leaving the twinkle lights on through the night.

Kibum yawned again, covering it with the back of his hand before he finished spreading jam on his toast. A half day for Halloween! McGonagall had announced it before breakfast appeared before them, and everyone couldn’t wait for classes to be over.

A slight hush fell over the Great Hall as the owls arrived with the morning mail. Nutmeg soon appeared in the window, swooping down and dropping a small package on the table before him. “Good job, Meg,” he said, kissing the top of his soft head before he flew away.

It was the smallest package his grandmother had sent him so far – he could hold it in in his palm. What could it be? Kibum untied the ribbon and peered inside. “Whoa…”

One of Grandma’s favorite spells was the Undetectable Extension Charm. He remembered her using it for their luggage to save money when she took him from New York back to her home in London after his father passed. The cupboards around their cottage were enchanted with the spell – “To fit all our memories,” she would say.

Grinning, Kibum held the package closed as he left the Slytherin table to rush across the hall to the Hufflepuff’s. He slid into the empty spot next to Minho and set the box down on the table. Minho’s eyebrows raised. “What’d Grandma send us?”

“Well,” Kibum glanced over at the Hufflepuffs who were watching them with curiosity and pulled the package back towards himself. “I don’t even know,” he said, switching to quiet Korean. “We’ll find out later when we study.”

“Oh, are we still doing that today? I thought McGonagall said there was a feast.”

“Hey,” Kibum smacked his arm, Minho rubbing the spot. “Just because it’s a half day doesn’t mean we can slack off. You’re making so much progress!”

Minho bit back a smile and lowered his eyes to his breakfast. Last night, he had finally been able to lift his feather with the Levitation Charm. They had both been so elated, they forgot to study for the rest of the night. Instead, they danced around the storage closet in excitement, pausing occasionally for Minho to lift something else with his newfound skill.

It was a good night.

“Okay, we can still study tonight,” Minho said in English, and Kibum cleared his throat, following suit.

“Good. What classes do you have today?”

Minho pulled his crumpled schedule out of his robe pocket and set it on the table between them. “Uh, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms,” Kibum squeezed his arm in encouragement, “and History of Magic.”

_Riiiing!_

They both looked up at the sound of the bell and Kibum climbed out of his seat. “I’ll save you a seat at History, okay?”

“Okay!” Kibum ran back to his place at the Slytherin table and grabbed his books, standing on his tiptoes to wave at Minho across the Great Hall. Minho waved back with a grin. Warmth bloomed in his chest and Kibum smiled back before running off to Potions.

Kibum dropped his books on his and Aaron’s desk, crossing his legs underneath him as he sat down. He pulled out his unfinished notes from yesterday’s class, picking up where he left off in writing down Slughorn’s comments on the recipe for the Forgetfulness Potion.

He dipped his quill in his inkwell, scraping the excess ink off on the bottle opening as Slughorn stepped up behind his cauldron. “All right, class. Open to page 139.” Kibum glanced up at the page number of _Magical Drafts and Potions_ , confirming that it was the right page. “We’ll continue our study on the Forgetfulness Potion. Does anyone remember which ingredient we left off on? Or did you forget?”

Slughorn let out a nervous-sounding chuckle, the whole class looking up at the sound. He stopped after a moment when no one joined him. Tracey Prince raised her hand, Slughorn looking her way with a nod. “We left off on the different herbs that make up the Standard Ingredient?”

Sighing, Slughorn nodded again. “Yes, we did, Ms. Prince. Now, if everyone would get their writing utensils. I see Mr. Kim is ahead of us.” Kibum’s hand twitched, the ink scratching across the parchment, and his cheeks flushed a warm pink when he felt their eyes on him. “I always appreciate when my students are prepared! Five points to Slytherin!

“Now,” Slughorn untied a small burlap sack and passed it to the nearest student, “as for the Standard Ingredient. It’s a combination of seven different dried herbs that is generally used as a base ingredient for many potions.”

Kibum grabbed the Standard Ingredient when Aaron passed it to him and took a quick sniff before giving it to the Gryffindor next to him. Peppermint stood out to him, followed by the faint scent of rosemary. He wrote those down on his notes for Minho, dropping his quill when he hand started to cramp.

Was it even worth it? Doing all this?

Minho seemed to appreciate it, but…Kibum rubbed his palm, reading over his notes. Maybe he was putting in too much effort. Maybe Minho was just using him. Maybe…No.

Kibum shook his head, picking up his quill. Minho genuinely seemed to like him as a friend. They spent time together whenever they could, outside of classes and studying. It was hard, though, since they weren’t in the same house. Actually…Kibum stopped writing and carded his free hand through his hair. Now that he thought about it, they did only seem to spend time together for studying.

No, no, he was over-thinking this again. Minho was his friend. His best friend…well, his only friend, if he was being honest.

_Riiiing!_

Kibum started at the sound of the bell and hurried to gather his books. He rolled up his notes, wincing when the ink smeared. Hopefully, they would still be readable. He got caught up in the flurry of students in the hallways, all four houses intermingling on their way to their next classes.

Kibum looked for the Hufflepuffs, spotting a couple fourth years, but no one else. He scuffed his toe on the stone floor, hugging his books to his chest. He needed to stop dwelling on this. Minho was nice, Minho…was calling out to him. Kibum looked up, spotting him on the staircase leading to the South Tower.

Minho hopped off the second step, jogging over to him. “Hi! How was Potions?”

“Fine,” Kibum shrugged.

“Good!” Minho grinned, digging around in his pockets and producing a handful of silver and orange covered drops with little paper flags sticking out of them. “Take them,” he said, taking Kibum’s hand and dropping them into it.

“What are they?”

“Chocolate!” Minho picked one out of Kibum’s hand and unwrapped it before popping it in his mouth. “Rhys’ mom sent him a huge bag of Muggle chocolate this morning and he shared it with all of us. It’s a Halloween thing.”

Kibum cautiously unwrapped it and looked at it. It certainly was oddly shaped. He bit off the chocolate tip and frowned. Minho laughed, pushing Kibum’s shoulder as he backed away. “Gotta go to Charms, bye!”

“Bye!” Kibum smiled, turning and slipping the rest of the chocolate into his mouth as he started after his classmates on their way to Herbology.

* * * * * * * * * *

“’Scuse me, if ya please.”

Minho grabbed Kibum’s arm, pulling him out of Hagrid’s way, and guided him out of the Great Hall. Both turned to watch as the gamekeeper dragged a cart full of pumpkins behind him. Dark peat sifted through the wooden slots of the cart, leaving a trail down the corridor to the Great Hall. The doors slammed shut behind the last of the students leaving lunch – both Minho and Kibum jumping at the sound.

Minho continued to stare at the closed door with wide eyes, asking “What do you think those are for?” as Kibum said, “Anyways like I was saying…”

“Sorry,” Minho said, nodding to Kibum when he froze. “You go.”

“We could go study now? If that’s what you want, I mean.” Minho scuffed his toe in the nearest clump of dirt, nodding. “O-or, if you’d rather, we can just go back to our dorms and wait for the feast tonight…” Kibum’s voice trailed off with a sigh.

Minho’s brow furrowed as he glanced over at his friend. He seemed sad, for some reason. Minho could not figure out why; he just hoped it wasn’t something he said or did.

Whenever Minseok was sad, Minho would grab their football and race him to the backyard to play with him until he was smiling again and Mom called them in for dinner. Jinki didn’t get sad often – typically only when his parents fought – and when he did he would come over to Minho’s house with a handful of movies. Minho held his hand sometimes when he seemed especially sad, and Jinki would squeeze it tightly before relaxing next to him. When Taemin had a bad day at school, Minho would invite him to come home with him and they would play video games until his mom got off from and came to pick him up. Minho would always let Taemin win – sometimes unintentionally – and Taemin would give him a quick hug before he left with his mother.

He didn’t have a football at Hogwarts, nor movies, nor video games…but Kibum also wasn’t Minseok or Jinki or Taemin.

Minho licked his lips quickly, his heart sinking at Kibum’s slight pout. “What if we went outside?” Kibum’s eyebrows rose and he looked up. “I’ve been wanting to explore out there anyway.”

“Why haven’t you said so before?”

“You’ve always wanted to study, so…” Minho shrugged and smiled when Kibum did.

“Oh.” Kibum scratched the nape of his neck as he averted his eyes, the tips of his ears tinged pink. “It’s a little cold. You want to go now, or – “

“Go get your coat,” he said, giving Kibum’s shoulder a shove. “I’ll race you!” Minho grabbed the straps of his backpack and started running off to the Hufflepuff dorms. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kibum dart off in the direction of the Slytherin house. His backpack fell heavy against his back with every loping stride, and Minho pulled it off once he came to a stop at the hidden doorway.

Grabbing his wand from his back pocket, Minho tapped the password on the front of the barrel and crawled inside, dragging his backpack behind him. He dropped it at the foot of his bed by his duffel bag, slipped off his robe, and looked around for his dad’s Manchester United hoodie he let Minho take with him. Once he found it, he pulled it on and flipped the hood off his head

As he turned to leave, he paused. Did wizards even have coats? Or were their robes their coats? Minho frowned and went back to his duffel bag, digging around for his puffy winter coat and putting it on. All at once, he was too warm, but he kept it on as he reached for his wand on his bed and rushed back to the hallway.

Kibum was waiting for him in front of the Great Hall with his polaroid in his hands, smiling when Minho turned the corner. No coat, just as Minho had suspected. Kibum had simply grabbed his house scarf and wrapped it around his neck twice.

“You ready?” Minho asked, rubbing his hands together and glancing to the open door leading to the castle grounds. Grinning, Kibum started running down the corridor with Minho on his heels.

Fallen leaves skittered across the dirt path on a breath of crisp autumn wind. The sky was overcast and heavy with the promise of rain. In the distance, the Whomping Willow’s branches whipped to and fro – though Minho couldn’t tell if it was because of the wind or the group of Gryffindors playing just out of its reach.

Minho darted ahead, taking Kibum’s outstretched hand as he took them off the path and into the grass. He let go once they were almost to the Forbidden Forest, both coming to a stop in the shadows of the trees. Minho bent, holding his knees, and breathed through his nose and out his mouth like his dad taught him. Kibum leaned against him, his arm draped across Minho’s back, as he tried to catch his breath.

“You’re too fast,” Kibum said, and Minho laughed.

“Sorry.”

Kibum’s hand slid across his back as he stood and he shoved it into his robe pocket, sniffing. Minho straightened and looked over at Kibum, huffing at his cold-kissed cheeks, nose, and chin. Wordlessly, he slipped out of his winter coat and passed it to him.

“Won’t you get cold?” Kibum asked, his teeth chattering.

“Nope!” He passed his polaroid from one hand to the other as he pulled it on, fumbling with the zipper with one hand. “Let me help you,” Minho said, easily zipping it up to his chin. “There.” Kibum sniffed again, as if for emphasis, and Minho chuckled. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Me?” Minho nodded, and Kibum blinked. “I don’t even know.”

“Hmm…” He revolved in place, turning slowly from the castle ahead to Hagrid’s hut to his left to the forest behind them. Minho stepped up on his tiptoes, peering into the deep shadows. From them, there came various animal sounds, most of which Minho could not recognize. He took a step closer, and Kibum smacked his arm.

“Hey! We’re not allowed to go in, remember?” he said, grabbing Minho by the elbow and pulling him back. “I don’t want us to get in trouble.”

“Yeah, but,” Minho took a step closer, dragging Kibum along with him. “Nobody’s watching.” Kibum shook his head, and Minho slipped out of his hold before he scampered into the forest. He didn’t make it two steps inside before he heard a faint, yet distinct growl from somewhere above him. Minho froze, his heart beating wildly in his ears as he whirled around and ran back to Kibum.

_Click!_

Minho squinted and blinked at the bright flash from Kibum’s polaroid, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth when Kibum doubled over in laughter. “Oh god,” he said, still laughing, “you’re such an idiot.”

Minho rolled his eyes and took the polaroid before Kibum lost his hold and dropped it, grabbing the undeveloped picture as it slid out of the slot in the front. Kibum was leaning against him again, his hand clasping his shoulder as he continued to laugh. He shook the photo as the grays became slightly more defined, smiling.

All he had to do to make Kibum smile was be an idiot. He could do that. Easily.

“Oh, I’m keeping that,” Kibum said, taking the mostly developed photograph from Minho’s hand.

His eyes were wide and his normally tan skin was just slightly pale as he stumbled out of the forest and locked eyes with Kibum. The camera shook slightly – from Kibum’s laughter, he assumed – and the scene restarted.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go in?” Minho asked as he stepped away from the forest with Kibum following him. “Just once to say you’ve done it?”

“No,” Kibum said, scoffing. He slipped the photograph of Minho in his robe pocket. “I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh, hey,” Kibum nudged him when he came alongside him. “I didn’t get to ask how Charms went. So?”

Minho bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet and ran back over to the forest to grab a handful of leaves. He pulled out one of Kibum’s hands out of his coat pocket and placed one of the leaves there, letting the others fall around their feet. He whipped his wand out of his back pocket and flicked it over the leaf.

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

The leaf floated up against the autumn wind, hovering between them. Kibum’s eyes brightened in a smile when he looked from the levitating leaf to Minho. He set the leaf back down in Kibum’s hand and lowered his wand.

“Professor Flitwick was really proud.”

“Well, he should be.”

Warmth bloomed in Minho’s chest and he let out a huffy sigh in a white plume. It felt good, succeeding after such an effort. It was just one, simple spell, but it meant that he could actually do this, that he was meant to be here…that he belonged.

Kibum was smiling at him when he looked over, and Minho quickly averted his eyes to the polaroid in his hands. He had been so kind and attentive to Minho in the short months that they had known each other. More than anything, he wanted to thank Kibum for everything he had done to help him, but he had never been good with words. He opened his mouth, hoping the right words would find their way to the forefront of his mind, but...

“Woah!” Minho looked back up when Kibum tapped his arm, pointing over to Hagrid’s hut and the pumpkin garden set between his home and the Forbidden Forest. His eyes widened at the size of the pumpkins, and he jogged after Kibum as he ran to inspect them. He plopped down on the largest pumpkin – nearly the size of his bed, he guessed – next to Kibum and laid down across the top, staring up at the darkening sky.

Raindrops started smattering against his hair. They would have to go inside soon.

Kibum turned, taking the polaroid from Minho’s hands, and shifted in his place on the pumpkin before raising the polariod to face him. Minho watched Kibum’s finger poised above the button. When he started to press down, Minho shot up, surprising Kibum by latching onto his shoulder and posing with a peace sign over his eyes. Once the flash died, Minho let go of his friend and ran off, laughing as Kibum chased him back to the castle.

* * * * * * * * * *

Hundreds of black bats flew above the lighted Jack-o-lanterns hanging in the place of the candles in the Great Hall. They swerved and dodged the rain falling from the enchanted ceiling. Kibum flinched whenever one of them flew past the Slytherin table and he instinctively covered his plate of food whenever he heard the tell-tale flapping of their wings.

He wasn’t very hungry anymore, having eaten more than his fill during the abundant feast. Still, he grabbed the last pumpkin pastie on the plate closest to him, blinking in surprise as the plate vanished as soon as he lifted the pastie from it. Kibum nibbled absently on the crimped crust, sighing.

He wished he hadn’t found the letter.

Once he was back in his dorm from being outside with Minho, Kibum noticed the small package from his grandma sitting on his nightstand. He dumped out the contents, loads and loads of candy and baked goods to celebrate the day -- and at last, a folded square of paper fluttered down amidst the treats. Eagerly, he grabbed the letter and unfolded it.

> _My darling Kibum~_
> 
> _I’m so happy that you’re making friends within your house. From what you’ve told me, Minho seems like a nice boy. I hope that you will share at least some of these goodies with your new friend._

Kibum frowned, re-reading the first sentence. Did she think he was in Hufflepuff? That was partly his fault, having not mentioned that he was sorted into Slytherin in any of his letters. He didn’t want to disappoint her, so he just never...brought it up.

> _I’ll admit this now, but I was worried at your silence, but I was worried that you weren’t sorted into Hufflepuff. But, of course you were. I’m so proud of you, darling. I know you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps and do great things._
> 
> _I’ve got to go, darling. Dinner with Ruby and Harold tonight and I want to send the goodies while they’re still warm. Have a happy Hallowe’en!_
> 
> _With all my love..._

Kibum’s stomach turned, and he set down his half-eaten pastie, staring at his robe pocket where his grandma’s letter lay hidden. He should have just told her straight off, but he didn’t want to. And she seemed happy by the “news” so...maybe...maybe he didn’t have to tell her.

The sound of benches being pushed back roused Kibum from his trance and he blinked, looking up to find all the students leaving the Great Hall. Even though they had a half day for the holiday, it was still a school night. Kibum stood slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets. The letter and Minho’s leaf crinkled against his fingers as he shuffled to the open doors.

“There you are!” Minho said, startling Kibum into looking up at him instead of the ground beneath his feet. Minho’s head cocked to the side and his brow furrowed as he stepped closer, his hand settling lightly on Kibum’s shoulder. “Is everything all right?”

The concern in Minho’s voice almost loosed the tears Kibum had been refusing to cry. Instead, Kibum pursed his lips and shook his head. Minho’s expression hardened into a determined little scowl before he grabbed Kibum’s hand and led him away to the tower just off the Great Hall. He took them down the stairwell to the first landing, stretching his legs out in front of him as he sat. Kibum soon sat beside him, his elongated sigh breaking the silence.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well,” he started to say, his voice cracking. Minho’s hand was soon at his back, rubbing gently back and forth between his shoulders. Kibum dug into his pocket and produced the letter, unfolding it for Minho to read.

“Oh...oh no...” Kibum gulped as Minho carefully refolded the letter. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”

Kibum shrugged, his shoulders drooping. “I didn’t tell her anything. I-I just w-wanted her to be proud of m-me,” he said, wiping away the tears that started rolling down his cheeks. Minho wrapped him in a tight side hug, his chin resting on Kibum’s shoulder. He didn’t say anything, he simply held him, until Kibum stopped crying. He sniffled, rubbing his wet nose with the sleeve of his robe.

“I’m sure she still would be. Proud of you, I mean.”

He sniffed again, smiling when Minho released him from his embrace. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat and shifted a little in his seat. "So, do you want to study now?"

"Not really. It's been nice to have a fun day. We should do it more often." Kibum looked over at Minho, and he smiled, moon and torchlight dancing in his brown eyes. “Ready?” Kibum nodded and Minho stood, offering his hand to help Kibum stand. They ran up the stairs, parting ways at the doorway. Minho darted off with a wave and a _Bye, Kibum!_ thrown over his shoulder as he ran back to his house.

Kibum waved at his back, watching Minho until he disappeared behind the corner. He hurried, then, to his own house and found the right brick. He tapped it three times and said, “Viridi” -- Slytherin’s new password since Monday. The wall opened for him and he went inside, avoiding the curious looks of the others lounging in the common room.

The first year’s dorm room was empty; Kibum sighed in relief at the sight. He changed quickly into his pajamas and tucked himself into bed, his teeth chattering until the sheets warmed around him.

A slight movement in the corners of his eyes caught his attention, and he looked up to the photographs from earlier hanging on the bottom of the top bunk, Kibum had pasted them there before he dumped out the package from his grandmother, and he had forgotten that he’d done so until just now. He smiled at the one from the Forbbiden forest before he focused on the other one.

In the photograph, Kibum shifted so that he could see Minho over his shoulder. Minho was also watching the camera, before he lept up and grabbed Kibum, giving the camera the cheesiest smile he could muster, a peace sign framing his squeezed-shut eyes. His own small smile opened into a yell and Minho laughed, pushing away from him.

Then, the scene restarted.

Kibum smiled as he watched the scene replay over and over again. His eyes soon lost focus and drooped shut, his lack of sleep from the night before setting in. A thought crossed his mind as sleep took him, one that he rather liked...

It’s nice to have a friend -- and Minho was his best friend. For sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!! First off, thanks to all those who have liked, reblogged, and shared your thoughts on this AU so far! It means a lot and I enjoy reading what you all think of my story thus far. Secondly, I’m sad to say that I’m going on a short hiatus. Don’t worry, I’m not abandoning the story (it’s my baby, I would never), I’ve just got some other priorities at the moment.
> 
> My reasons for the hiatus are two-fold. First, I’m hoping to finish my rewrite of my second book before Star Wars comes out lol…I’ve just reached the half-way point so I’ve got a lot of work left to do. Second, when it comes to writing a larger work of fiction (i.e. my books and now this AU), I’m an outliner and not a panster. I’ve been writing this so far by the seat of my pants and, not gonna lie, it’s making me nervous that I’ll miss things that I want to get into the story and that I’ll mess up the pacing I want to achieve. 
> 
> So, a hiatus. I’m planning on getting the next chapter out sometime between Minho’s birthday and Christmas. I’m sorry to do this to you all so soon into starting this AU, but I think it will be for the best in the end. Do look out for my Minkey baking oneshot (I’ve been working on it for weeks, I just haven’t had the focus necessary to finish it)! I’m hoping to be able to post it between now and then.
> 
> Thanks again ~


	6. Deck the Halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Aaron and I are planning on sneaking in a Christmas tree for our room. Would you want to help?"
> 
> "Could Minho help too?"
> 
> Callum’s eyes brightened. "Sure, we can use all the help we can get." He turned around, tapping on the desk behind him to get Aaron’s attention. "Hey, Operation Deck the Halls is a go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so, I know I said that I would update between Minho's birthday and Christmas day, but...I hope you understand. This chapter is extra long to make up for such a long hiatus -- I hope you enjoy their first Christmas at Hogwarts!

The first snow of winter occurred a week before Christmas. Hagrid and Filch left the kitchen every morning with thermoses full of coffee. They were off to shovel the pathways outside the castle so students could travel to and from their classes. Snow drifted into the courtyard, untouched except by the stray cat that sometimes roamed the halls.

And, there she was again – the silver tabby that usually lurked outside the Headmaster’s office. She darted away from him when he tried to chase her.

Minho had always loved cats. He and Minseok had found an orange tabby with a missing eye on their way to school one morning. They ended up skipping school that day in their effort to coax it out of the alley. It had been Minho who touched the cat first, and he held her gently while Minseok petted her head.

“What should we do with her?”

“Keep her?”

Minseok scoffed and sighed heavily when Minho looked up at him, tears burning the rims of his eyes. “Fine. We’ll have to show her to Mom first, though.”

Mango was her name – it was their father’s idea. She was a happy addition to their family for three years, up until Dad got the call that they were moving to England. Sooyoung’s mother offered to take Mango, and they gave her to the other Chois a month before they were set to move to Manchester.

He missed having a pet. Sure, he had Geum-nun, but he rarely saw her between classes. It didn’t help that he never received any mail. Besides, having an owl was not the same as having a cat.

Sighing, Minho stepped up on his tiptoes to peek around the banister for a glimpse of the silver tabby. He spotted her, sitting with her back to the courtyard. Her tail twitched back and forth as she watched the snow fall. Minho grinned as he clambered over the railing and into the courtyard, his feet crunching on the snow as he crept up behind the cat.

Her ears twitched back at the slight noise, her tail freezing mid-swing. Minho stilled, waiting for her tail to swish again. When it did, he started forward again, only to have her bound away from him to return to the castle. He scurried after her, slipping a little on the stone floor as he turned the corner, and slid directly into the Headmaster herself.

Minho picked himself up off the floor and bowed as his face flushing scarlet.

“No running in the halls, Mr. Choi.”

“Yes, Headmaster.”

She sniffed, and her voice softened ever so slightly. “Be sure to clean the snow off your shoes. You wouldn’t want to track snow inside.” Minho nodded, keeping his eyes down as McGonagall walked away.

“What took you so long?” Kibum asked in a rasped whisper as Minho slid into his seat beside him. Professor Binns droned on – either he hadn’t noticed Minho slipping into his class ten minutes late or he just didn’t care. Being a ghost would do that to a person.

“Uh,” Minho hummed in thought as he flipped through his textbook to find the page Kibum was on. He sniffed and rubbed the tip of his still cold-numbed nose. “Nothing important.”

There was a hint of a smile in Kibum’s voice when he tapped the paragraph Binns was currently discussing. “We’re here.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Kibum brushed a stray feather off the table as the owls flew out of the Great Hall and returned to the owlery. The red ribbon tickled the underside of his chin as he hugged the large package from Grandma. Inside was her response to whether he could stay at Hogwarts for Christmas or not. Minho still had yet to hear from his parents at all this year, and he didn’t want to leave his friend alone for the holidays.

But...maybe today was the day Minho finally got something. Doubtful, but maybe.

The excited din of the Great Hall buzzed in his ears – everyone was probably talking about going home for the holiday. Kibum tapped the side of the package as he stared above the Gryffindor table to the window behind one of the huge Christmas trees.

It was snowing again. The flakes were thicker than they had been the past couple of days. Hopefully, the weather wouldn’t stop the others from traveling home.

Minho’s head bobbed into Kibum’s line of sight as he walked past the Gryffindor table. He blinked and sat up, scooting over a little for Minho to slide in beside him. Minho crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them with a quiet huff, and Kibum turned to him, his eyebrow raising in question. Did you get any mail? Minho simply shook his head.

He patted Minho’s shoulder as he sat up and untied the red ribbon that held his package together. He passed it to Minho, who began wrapping and unwrapping it around his finger, and opened the box.

Inside, there were several presents wrapped in a light blue, dancing snowmen paper, the biggest being the two squishy rolls tucked against the side. Sweaters, more than likely. Grandma had gotten back into knitting this summer after quitting because of her arthritis. Kibum poked one and smiled at the way the wrapping paper crinkled.

Grandma’s letter was right on top of the presents and the still-warm brown bags of treats. He pushed it aside to dig through the sweet-smelling packages – pulling out two crisp pumpkin pasties, one for Minho and the other for himself – before he opened the letter.

> _My darling Kibum~_
> 
> _Of course you can stay at Hogwarts with your friend for Christmas. It would be sad to leave him all alone at school. I only wish that the both of you could come here for Christmas, but I know that the rules will never allow for that._

“What’d she say?” Minho asked as he unraveled the ribbon from his finger.

“Yes. But shh,” Kibum added when Minho sat up excitedly. “I’m still reading.”

> _Some of the gifts in there are for Minho, since I doubt his parents will be sending him anything. I’ll miss you this year, but I’m very proud of you for deciding to stay behind with your friend._
> 
> _Tell Minho “Merry Christmas” from me._
> 
> _With all my love…_

Kibum folded up the letter and tucked it between the probable sweaters. “She says ‘Merry Christmas’.”

Minho reached into the box and frowned when Kibum smacked his hand away from the pumpkin pasties bag. “I just wanted a butterbeer cookie. Hey,” his voice trailed off when Kibum closed the box with a grin.

“Later.” He sniffed his disdain and Kibum snorted, amused. “So, now that I’m staying, what do we want to do?”

_Riiiing!_

Oh, right. There was still one more day of classes before Christmas break.

The Great Hall bustled to life, the students grabbing their bags and books and shoving the last of their breakfasts into their mouths as they hurried to their first class. Kibum clapped Minho on the shoulder, hefting himself off the bench. “See you in history.”

Minho slipped out of his grasp, shouting "Okay!" over his shoulder as he darted back to the Hufflepuff table for his backpack. He beat Kibum to the door, and he hurried down the hall to Herbology, waving goodbye to Kibum before he turned the corner.

The contents of Grandma’s package shuffled around as Kibum ran to his house. There were, like, four minutes until he had to get to Charms. On the second floor. From the basement. Kibum huffed a sigh, the edge of the package digging into his ribs with every step. He skidded to a stop before the blank brick wall and dug into his robe pocket for his wand.

“Mistletoe,” Kibum said, tapping the tiny coiled snake three times. He rolled his eyes as the bricks shuffled to reveal the common room. Charlie had been feeling particularly festive before he left to go home to Ireland for the holiday. Kibum stepped inside to set his package down on the plush velvet armchair and turned back around to find the entrance falling back into place. “Really?”

Three minutes left.

Kibum sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for the last brick to settle into its original position. He cracked his knuckles before he knocked the pattern – three taps, a pause, and two more taps – to open the wall again. He started running as soon as the wall opened up enough for him to fit through. The clattering of the bricks echoed in the hall as he ran.

He made it to Charms out of breath and with seconds to spare. He stumbled inside and sat at the nearest desk and tried to mask his labored breathing behind his hand. Luckily, Prof. Flitwick was distracted by one of the Ravenclaws and did not notice that Kibum was late.

Kibum elbowed Callum’s ribs. “He hasn’t started yet, right?”

“Hey.” He rubbed his side, his brow furrowing. “No, Matty had a question about yesterday’s lesson.” Kibum nodded and opened his textbook to where they had left off yesterday in the light spells and charms. “Did you hear back from your grandma?”

“Oh, yeah…She said yes.”

“Sweet! That means it’s me and Aaron and you staying behind. We were thinking – “

Kibum’s mind wandered to Minho as Callum prattled on. He would be all alone in his dorm room for the holiday since his roommates were going home to their families. Minho hadn’t even bothered to write his parents and ask them if he was going to be able to come home for Christmas. He looked so close to tears when Grandma sent the letter explaining what he would have to do when he arrived at King’s Cross by himself. Kibum couldn't bear to see Minho this sad, so he offered to stay behind with him.

He had refused at first, saying that family should be together for Christmas. Eventually – thankfully – Minho accepted Kibum’s offer to spend Christmas with him. Kibum wrote and sent the letter to Grandma that night.

Since he was staying here for Minho, it would make sense if they spent as much time together as possible, right? So, maybe he could spend the night in the Slytherin dorm once or twice – or maybe the whole time – so he wouldn’t feel so alone.

“Hey, do you think it would be all right if – “ he started to say just as Callum was saying “ – but, there’s nothing that we could drape around it to make it invisible, so…”

“What?” Kibum blinked and looked up at a confused Callum. “Sorry. You go.”

“Uh…Aaron and I are planning on sneaking in a Christmas tree for our room. Would you want to help?”

“Could Minho help too?”

Callum’s eyes brightened. “Sure, we can use all the help we can get.” He turned around, tapping on the desk behind him to get Aaron’s attention. “Hey, Operation Deck the Halls is a go.”

Kibum snorted. “Operation Deck the Halls?” Minho would love that they thought of a code name. “What do you want us to do?”

“We’ve already got a tree picked out. What we need are some decorations.”

“We’re on it,” Kibum said, grinning.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Duck,” Minho whispered, wincing at the thump that was Kibum probably falling to the ground. The spruce branches rustled against his leg and he stepped back until Kibum patted his leg. “Are you okay?”

Kibum let out a weak “Yeah.”

It was Christmas Eve, and lunch had just ended. It was time for Operation Deck the Halls – Minho smiled now just thinking about the name. Callum and Aaron had left before dessert was served, which left Minho and Kibum to gather as many ornaments as they could from the Christmas trees in the Great Hall.

Minho was supposed to be the lookout while Kibum picked which ornaments to take. Until now, no one noticed what they were doing, but…

The ornaments clinked together in Minho’s backpack when he squared his shoulders as Filch approached, grumbling some low greeting that Minho did not understand. He didn’t want to be impolite, so he bowed and said “Hello” with a small smile. Minho stepped back again when Filch glowered in his direction, freezing when Kibum pinched his calf.

“Ow…” he said once Filch had moved on.

“Sorry.”

A rumbling purr sounded a little way off, distracting Minho. Mrs. Norris, Filch’s notorious cat, was watching him and Kibum with a judging, yellow-eyed gaze. Her tail swished lazily back and forth and she crept back as Minho crouched and extended his hand to her. Her ears twitched back when he clicked his tongue and rubbed his fingers together.

“Minho, what are you doing?”

“Trying something.”

He tapped his fingers on the stone floor, Mrs. Norris’ gaze flicking down to follow the movement, but she stayed put. Minho pulled some tinsel off of the tree and dragged the silver strands across the floor. Her tail stopped twitching and Minho changed the tempo of his swishing. There was a loud snapping of fingers, and both he and Mrs. Norris turned to see Filch watching them.

She gave Minho one more look before she trotted off after her master.

Sighing, he sat back on his heels, the ornaments clinking together again. “Hey, careful. These are glass.” Minho looked back as Kibum placed another ornament into his backpack. “I think we have enough, now.”

“You think?”

Kibum laughed as he met Minho’s eyes. “How big of a tree do you think they’ll be able to get inside?” Minho shrugged and peeked around the tree to make sure that Filch wasn’t watching them. “We good?”

Slowly, Minho slipped out of his backpack and cradled it in his arms as the ornaments jingled together. He put his arms through the straps again, this time with the backpack resting against his torso as he stood. Stepping forward, he looked around the tree again. Filch and Mrs. Norris were at the head table, their backs facing the Great Hall.

“We’re clear,” Minho whispered as he started tiptoeing carefully to the door.

Kibum darted ahead and peeked up and down the hall before looking back at Minho. His eyebrows raised with a sarcastic tilt as he crossed his arms over his chest. Once Minho reached him, he sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want to walk any slower? I mean,” he looked at his watch-less wrist and Minho snorted, “I’ve got nothing else to do today, so…”

“Hey, these are glass. I was told to be careful.”

Giggling, Kibum smacked his shoulder, which caused the ornaments to clink together. They both froze, Kibum staring down at the backpack and Minho checking over his shoulder to make sure no one heard. When he was sure that no one was watching, Minho started down the hall until Kibum’s grip tightened around his shoulder.

“This way,” he said as he guided Minho over to the stairwell to the left of the Great Hall. “It’s quicker.”

Water dripped somewhere deep inside the dark corridor leading to the Slytherin house entrance. Torchlight flickered dancing shadows along the gray brick walls. The paintings moved as they walked past them, the subjects' movements jerky and unnatural in the shadows. Minho shivered and jolted to a stop when a pair of silvery ghosts glided through the wall and crossed their path. He gulped and reached for Kibum’s hand in the dark but stopped, his eyes wide, when Kibum cleared his throat.

“This is it.”

But…it was just a blank wall.

Minho squinted and scanned it for the hidden entrance as Kibum stepped forward, wielding his wand. He tapped a brick three times, said “Mistletoe,” and stepped back.

“Stop, stop…Callum, stop.” Minho glanced up as Aaron’s voice reverberated in the corridor.

“Why are you going so slow?”

“Because the tree is getting heavy? What kind of question…”

“Guys?” Kibum said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Can you hurry? I don’t want us to get in trouble.” Callum stumbled forward and out of the stairwell, pulling the tree and Aaron along with him. Kibum tapped Minho’s arm. “Let’s go.”

Minho turned around to find the wall open and waiting for them to walk through, and he blinked, surprised. When did that happen? Kibum headed inside and waved for Minho to follow him.

A fire crackled and popped in the otherwise empty common room, warming the dark stone walls with its light. Muddled shades of green light were cast across the floor and walls from the stained glass windows. The room was bright yet dark, warm yet cold, and cozy yet uninviting all at once. Slytherin’s whole aesthetic was so different from that of Hufflepuff’s, and it left Minho speechless.

“Minho.” He looked up and found Kibum waiting for him under an arched stairway. “This way.” Callum and Aaron shuffled through the doorway. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the bricks returned to their original places. “Come on.”

Minho followed Kibum as quickly as the glass ornaments would allow.

 * * * * * * * * * *

The jingling of the ornaments followed Kibum as he darted down the hallway to the first years’ dorm room. Minho laughed at something either Aaron or Callum said, and Kibum glanced over his shoulder before he opened the door to their room.

It was a little cluttered, and ordinarily, Kibum wouldn’t be concerned but this was Minho. He wasn’t a neat freak – like Kibum’s mom – but he did like to keep things tidy. Most days, before they could even start studying, Minho would pick up the closet and stack his books in order of how they would study.

Kibum suppressed the desire to run around and pick up the discarded clothes and shoes and robes. He pushed the door open for Minho to come through and held it for Aaron and Callum who were on his heels, both huffing and puffing from the carrying the tree. Minho’s eyebrows raised as he looked about the room, taking it all in. He set his backpack gently on the foot of Fredrick’s bed.

Aaron’s twinkle lights were still strung around the room from Halloween since no one felt like taking them down yet. Kibum checked out the corner where they decided last night that they would set up the tree. He kicked one of Callum’s shoes away as they set the tree down on the floor, the branches and needles crinkling.

“Same place?” Aaron asked, nodding to the corner that Kibum was stepping out of.

“Yeah.”

Callum threw his head back and sighed before he bent to pick up the trunk. “Shi – crap,” he glanced in Minho’s direction and cleared his throat. “Sorry. This is really heavy.” He took a few steps before he came to a sudden stop. Aaron grumbled when the tip of the tree dug into his ribs. “Wait, we don’t have a stand for it.”

“Oh.”

Kibum frowned, sighing. He hummed in question when Minho tapped his shoulder. “Where do you keep your Herbology textbook?” He gestured beneath his bed and Minho knelt to sift through his books.

“Is there a spell that would work?” he asked as he sat cross-legged beside Minho.

“Maybe.”

There were a couple quiet minutes of page turning. Callum and Aaron set down the tree while they waited. Minho stopped on a page, his finger tracing a line of text. Kibum leaned in as he flipped the page again, and flipped it back. He tapped a spell, “This one might work.”

“Did you bring your wand?”

His mouth opened and snapped closed as he glanced over Kibum at the other two boys. He lowered his voice and switched to speaking Korean. “Could you do it?”

Kibum took the book from Minho’s lap and read over the spell. “My wand is in the nightstand drawer.” Minho leaned over and grabbed it, passing it to him as Kibum stood. “Okay, I think we’re ready.” The other two lifted the tree and moved it to where Kibum pointed to with his wand. “Just hold it steady. Minho, bring the book over here again.”

He glanced over the spell again and practiced the wand movements a couple times. Then, he straightened his shoulders and said, “Arbor insideo!”

Root-like tendrils grew from the base of the tree, twisting and spreading and digging into the spaces between the tiles. One of the tiles cracked – Minho jumped at the sound – and the roots thickened as they plunged deeper into the ground. The branches shook slightly as the spell took effect and stilled once the roots stopped growing.

“Is it done?” Kibum asked Minho, who nodded. “Okay, let go?” Callum and Aaron took a tentative step back, Aaron letting go of the tree before Callum.

It stood by itself.

Kibum grinned and looked over at Minho, whose eyes were shining as he stared in awe at the tree. He wrapped him in a tight hug and leaned his head on his shoulder as Minho patted his back.

“Way to go, Minho!” Callum said, holding his hand up for a high-five.

“Yeah! Thanks!” Aaron said, smiling at him. “I would have never thought of that.”

Minho’s face was a bright pink and he sighed as Kibum stopped hugging him. Slight dimples appeared as his smile grew. “I…I just really like Herbology.”

Kibum wanted to hug him again, but he refrained when he glanced over at Callum and Aaron. They weren’t paying attention to them now – instead, they were poking and prodding at the tree – but…still. He shoved his hands into his pockets and bumped Minho’s shoulder with his own. “Good job.”

His face turned a deeper shade of pink. “Thanks.”

“Should we decorate now?” Kibum asked, raising his voice to include the others.

They voiced their agreement, and Kibum directed for Minho and Aaron to unstring the twinkle lights from around the room. Kibum and Callum sorted through the decorations that Kibum picked out. They spent most of their time untangling the tinsel.

Once the ornaments were organized by color and the lights were strung around the tree, they started arranging them on the branches. Aaron accidentally shook a clear orb with ice painted on the top and bottom of the sphere, and a scene sprang to life inside. Snow started falling and ice skaters started swirling on the frozen lake inside the ornament. When it faded, Aaron shook it again. They watched the scene replay several times before Callum placed the ornament in the center of the tree. Minho gently shook a couple of the ornaments to see if any of them had scenes in them, but he gave up after a couple of tries.

When Kibum placed the last bit of tinsel on the tree, they all sat back to admire their handiwork.

The lights gleamed off the ornaments, twinkling on and off every second or so. Around the Great Hall, there had been four trees – one in every corner of the room – and they had been decorated in the colors of each house. Kibum took sparingly from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw trees, focusing more on the Slytherin and Hufflepuff ones instead. He thought it looked rather pretty covered in green, gold, and silver with touches of red and blue. Callum had wrapped the base of the tree in one of his plaid scarves as a makeshift tree skirt. It tied the whole look together nicely, Kibum thought.

When he glanced over at the other three, he grinned. They were all staring at the tree, the twinkle lights bright in their smiling eyes. He cleared his throat and Aaron looked over Callum and Minho at him. “What time is it?”

He leaned back to check the time on the alarm clock on his nightstand. “4:37″

Dinner was at five. “What if,” Minho and the other two looked over at him, “we put our presents under the tree and then head over to the Great Hall?” Minho stayed put while Kibum and the others went to their bunks to grab the gifts their families sent them. Kibum cradled all his and Minho’s gifts from Grandma in his arms and carefully walked back to sit beside him again. “Take yours.”

Minho’s eyes lit up. “Mine?”

Kibum’s brow furrowed. Had he forgotten to tell him? Oops. “Yeah, look.” He turned toward Minho a little more as he picked out the presents that Grandma labeled for him. She sent him three things, the sweater and two other smaller gifts. Minho gulped as he looked down at them and followed Kibum’s lead when he placed his gifts under the tree.

The other two heaped their presents around the tree trunk, and Minho and Kibum followed them out the door and into the common room. They all ran to the door, Minho and Kibum sliding to a stop by their shoes. The wall opened when Aaron knocked the password, and they all traipsed up the stairs to the Great Hall. Minho broke off from the group at the door, trudging over to the sparsely-seated Hufflepuff table and sitting by himself.

Kibum watched him sadly until Callum said his name. “Sorry, what?”

“You said he was alone, right? There’s no one in his dorm right now?” Kibum nodded and Callum glanced over at Aaron and he took a bite of mashed potatoes. “Do you think he’d want to spend the night with us?”

“Probably. Would you guys mind?”

“Not at all,” Aaron said around his mouthful of whipped cream and pumpkin pie. “He’s a nice guy and he helped us out.”

Callum poured more gravy over his plate. “Besides, he’s your best friend, right?” Kibum nodded, dragging the brussel sprout on his fork through the gravy and cranberry sauce. “Yeah, he can hang out with us for the rest of the holiday.”

“Okay.” Kibum smiled, glancing between them at Minho across the Hall. “I’ll tell him.” He finished his food as quickly as possible, his fork clattering on his plate when Minho stood to leave. Once he reached the doorway, he called out to Minho, who stopped mid-step down the hall. He jogged back to meet Kibum as he walked toward him. “You wanna spend the night with us? In our room?”

Minho’s eyes brightened before his brow furrowed. “Is that allowed?”

“Probably not, but…” Kibum leaned in, whispering with a small smile. “Neither is having a Christmas tree, I don’t think.”

“True…okay. I’ll come.”

“Great! So – “

“Actually,” Minho rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve got to stop by my room first. Meet you there?” He glanced over Kibum when some of the other students started to file out of the Great Hall.

“I’ll just come with you.”

“Oh.” He hummed and looked down the hall toward Hufflepuff house. “Okay.”

Kibum followed Minho as he started walking, their shoes squeaking on the stone floor. “So, do I get to see inside Hufflepuff, or..?” Minho’s eyes widened and he shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket, and Kibum’s heart sank. “I don’t have to, I guess.”

“No, no.” Minho pursed his lips. “Rhys is probably reading for the night.”

“And?”

“And that means he’s sitting by the fire with his current book and a cup of tea to make sure we all get in for the night.” Minho stopped in front of a cluster of barrels and pulled his wand out of his hoodie pocket and twirled it around. “One time, he threatened to tell Prof. Sprout about one of the fifth years trying to sneak in her boyfriend.” Kibum snorted and Minho offered him a small smile. “Sorry. I’ll be a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

Minho tapped on the front-most barrel and it popped open. He waved at Kibum before he ducked inside. Kibum tried to peer inside, but he only caught a glimpse of a warm, amber-colored tunnel before the barrel closed up behind Minho.

He tapped his thumb on his thigh as he backed away from the barrels. This could have been his house…What would have been different had he been sorted into Hufflepuff? Kibum leaned against the wall opposite the barrels, lowering his gaze when a couple of Hufflepuffs walked past.

Sighing, Kibum leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. It wasn’t good to think about what could have been. Slytherin wasn’t…that bad, it just hadn’t been what he had been expecting. Also, with the stigma surrounding Slytherin, no one really wanted to be sorted there, right?

Laughter and raised voices echoed down the hall, and Kibum opened his eyes. A large group of Hufflepuffs approached, and two of the boys broke free of the group to race to the barrels. The first one there tapped the password with a triumphant laugh. A couple of the girls waved at Kibum as they all ducked inside the opening. Not even a minute passed before the side of the barrel opened again to reveal a grinning Minho.

He put his fingers to his lips and Kibum nodded, waiting until the barrel clicked shut to start walking. “Well, that worked out,” Minho said once he caught up to him.

“Did he catch you?”

“Nope!” Kibum smiled and Minho shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket, which made a weird sort of clicking sound. He was about to ask about it until Minho said, “We talked about Herbology until that big group came through.”

“Ah.” They both stopped at the Great Hall, peeking inside. Filch and Mrs. Norris were the only ones inside, and their backs were turned. They raced across and slid to a stop at the doorway to the staircase.

Minho stayed pressed to his side as they went to the basement, darkness enveloping them except for the light from the occasional torch. He bumped into Kibum when he stopped in front of the entrance and muttered “Sorry.” He seemed nervous, for some reason. Kibum looked over at him and smiled. Hopefully, he would relax once they got inside.

Green light streamed through the openings in the wall once Kibum said the password, and Minho sighed as he followed Kibum inside. They both toed off their shoes as the wall closed up behind them. Whatever was in Minho’s pocket clanked together as they ran to the dorm room.

“Kibum, Minho!” Callum said, holding up one of his half-opened presents. “Settle this for us.”

“What?” Kibum asked as he pointed to Fredrick’s empty bed to the left of his own. Minho nodded and quickly slipped under the covers as Kibum turned back around. “What is it?”

“Should we open our presents now or tomorrow morning? I think now, but Aaron – “

“Don’t put words in my mouth!”

“I wasn’t gonna!”

“Yeah, okay, but what abo – “

“Guys?” Kibum asked, his voice clipped. “Can you not? We have a guest.” They all looked back at Minho who was placing something on the bunk above his head. Once he sensed their gazes, he froze, blushing.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention…what?” Kibum repeated the question in Korean. “We always opened them in the morning.”

“My family does, too. Sorry, Callum.”

Minho pulled the covers back and he walked over to Kibum, crossing his arms. Kibum blinked as he looked down at Minho’s plaid flannel pajamas. “When did you change?” Minho pointed back at Fredrick’s bed. “Are those yours?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry, that was stupid. I just…don’t remember you bringing any with you.”

“Oh!” Minho laughed. “I rolled them up and put them in my hood.”

“Ooooh.”

“Kibum,” Callum said, fiddling with the partially torn wrapping paper. “Can we open just one right now?”

He let out a long sigh and was about to say no until he looked over at Minho, who was watching him with wide, puppy-dog eyes. “Fine.”

Callum ripped opened the present in his hands as Aaron jumped off his bed and hurried over to the tree. He and Minho joined them by the tree, Kibum reaching for the biggest present and Minho grabbing the smallest of his. Something lime green appeared in his peripheral vision, and Kibum looked up to find Callum holding a pair of lime green and orange socks.

“Did your mum make those?”

“Yeah, for my team.”

Minho looked at Kibum, frowning. “The Irish Quidditch team.” He nodded and went back to opening his present. Kibum tore open his present and smiled at the mustard yellow sweater that unrolled across his lap. “I knew it.”

“So soft,” Minho said, feeling the sleeve between his fingers.

“You got one too, I think.”

“Really?” The wrapping paper fell away from the tin in Minho’s hands, and he glanced under the tree. Kibum scooted over to look at the note taped to the lid of the tin.

> _Minho,_
> 
> _I thought you might like some foods from home for Christmas. I hope you have a good holiday._
> 
> _With love, Grandma_

Kibum leaned in, smelling the tin. “Is that...barbeque?”

“Ooo, I hope so.”

“No, no! Don’t open it until you’re ready to eat it! She enchants the tins to stay warm.” Kibum sat back, rubbing his hands over the sweater as Aaron slipped on his new beanie. “Well, that was fun. Should we go to bed? Or...” All four of them stared at the tree. The lights twinkled on and off, two times before Kibum coughed. “Maybe just one more...”

Kibum grabbed the long, thin box while Minho reached for his sweater. He opened it to reveal a sort of periwinkle blue sweater. Minho held it up and turned to Kibum, smiling. He nodded and ducked his head when his face started to color, focusing on the present in his hands. It was...stationary and a self-inking quill. Awesome! Kibum wrote his name in Hangul, admiring the shimmery forest-green ink.

Paper crinkled and Kibum looked up to see Callum opening a third present. He paused when he sensed Kibum’s gaze. “What? We might as well open the rest now.”

Kibum sighed. “Yeah, I suppose.”

They did.

Aaron got presents from all his sisters and his parents, and Kibum lost track of the growing pile of handmade gifts. Callum got a seemingly never-emptying bag of candy that he shared with them. Kibum got the same dosirk as Minho, and they both got an assortment of candy from Diagon Alley. Minho was excited about the marbled chocolate frog, saying that he saw one the first time that he went to Diagon Alley.

Minho tucked himself into bed before the others, yawning as he watched the others arrange their presents on their nightstands. “How much time do we have left?” Callum asked, peering through the bunks at Aaron.

“Uh, less than a minute.”

Minho lifted his head from his pillow. “For what?”

Kibum pointed to the candles posted around the room before he jumped into bed and pulled his blankets over him. “Lights out.”

Once the lights dimmed, Kibum rested his head on his pillow and turned to the side, facing Minho. A faint green light glowed above Minho, who was staring intensely at whatever was producing the light. He drew the blankets up to his chin and took a deep breath. “You okay?” Kibum whispered in Korean.

“Yeah.” There was a long pause, which was punctuated by another deep breath. “Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

Minho huffed a laugh. “I don’t know.” Kibum’s eyes started to droop closed – his long day was catching up to him. He yawned as Minho glanced his way. “Sleepy?” Kibum nodded. “Goodnight.”

“Night…Merry Chr…is…Min – “

His voice trailed off, and the last thing he heard was before he succumbed to sleep was Minho’s quiet “Merry Christmas, Kibum.”

 * * * * * * * * * *

It wasn’t until late in the morning – Minho assumed. It was hard to judge the time without the window beside his bed. – that he opened his eyes. He scrunched his eyes closed as soon as he opened them and rolled over onto his back. The glow-in-the-dark stars his mom sent him with came into focus as he blinked.

All the light was gone from them, but that was okay. The torches were lit again.

“Oh. You’re awake.” He started at turned his head on the pillow to face Kibum. “Good morning,” he said, smiling. Minho made a sort of grumble in response as he rubbed his hands over his face. Kibum chuckled. “Not a morning person?”

“No.”

“Did you know you snore?” Minho’s eyes widened as he looked over at Kibum. “I’m a light sleeper. Don’t worry,” he gestured to the bed Minho sitting on. “Fredrick snores, too, so we’re used to it.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“No, no, I thought it wa – “ Kibum cleared his throat and shook his head slightly before he held up one of the glow-in-the-dark stars. “What’s this?”

Minho blushed to the tips of his ears. “A star.”

“I can see that.”

“Um,” Minho fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. “I…well, I’m scared of the dark,” he said, his voice growing quieter with every word.

“Really?”

He nodded, sighing. “I’ve been doing okay lately but…it’s really dark down on this side of the basement.”

“That makes sense.” Kibum flipped the star over between his fingers. “What do they look like? In the dark, I mean.”

“You’ve never seen these before?” Kibum shook his head. “Come here.” Minho reached under his pillow as he scooted over, grabbing his wand. Kibum slipped into the bed beside him and looked up at the clusters of stars. “Lumos.” They both squinted at the sudden light. “Go ahead and close the curtain,” Minho said as he pulled the curtain on his side to the end of the bed. Except for the light at the end of his wand, they were shrouded in darkness.

He shivered and Kibum rubbed his arm. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m okay, you just have to charge them first.,” he said, waving his wand around the stars. “That should be good. Nox.”

The soft white light from the tip of his wand vanished and was replaced by the faint green light of the stars – both the ones on the ceiling and the one in Kibum’s hand. He rested his head on the pillow beside Minho’s. “It’s pretty.”

“They’re not as pretty as actual stars, but they help.”

“I like them.” Minho could barely see Kibum in the light of the artificial stars, but he was smiling. “Can I keep this one?” He asked, holding up the one in his hand.

“Sure.” Minho’s stomach growled, the sound loud in the small space, and Kibum laughed. “Go away,” he said, shoving at Kibum’s shoulder. “I need to get changed.”

He pulled the curtain closed after Kibum slipped out and felt around on the nightstand for the sweater Grandma knitted for him. A chill rushed over him as he yanked off his dad’s hoodie, but he was soon warmed by his new sweater. He grabbed his jeans off the nightstand, too, and rolled his hoodie and pajama bottoms into a bundle once he was dressed.

“That was quick,” Kibum said when he pulled the curtain back.

“I’m hungry.”

“I’m aware.”

Minho laughed, pushing Kibum as he started for the door. “Shut up!”

His stomach growled nearly all the way to the Great Hall, which delayed their journey since Kibum kept giggling. They split at the door and Minho took a seat at Hufflepuff. He watched Kibum get situated across from Callum and Aaron as he dished up his breakfast.

Wings fluttered at the windows and Minho lowered his eyes, cutting into his pancake as the owls delivered the mail. He had stopped looking for Geum-nan weeks ago.

A hush settled over the Great Hall as everyone read their letters from their families. Minho sighed and cringed when his fork scraped loudly against his plate. Looking around, he saw that no one noticed the noise, save for Kibum, who giggled again. Minho grinned at him before he went back to his breakfast.

Once Minho drank the last of his pumpkin juice, Kibum shot up from his seat and ran toward Minho, a sheet of paper rippling in his hand. He slid into the seat across from him and set the paper down. “I just finished my letter to Grandma. Wanna add anything?”

He glanced over what Kibum wrote as he chattered about how they should head up to the owlery after breakfast and send this letter. Minho saw his own name and the word happy a couple of times, but he tried not to read the letter, out of respect for Kibum’s privacy. “Do you have a pen?”

“Even better!” Kibum pulled out the self-inking quill Grandma sent gave him for Christmas and passed it to Minho.

Minho smoothed the parchment and looked at the blank spot below Kibum’s signature. “Thanks.”

> _Dear Grandma,_
> 
> _This is Minho. Thank you so much for the sweater and the candy and the dosirak. I love the color of the sweater and I plan to wear it whenever I can ^^ and I’m saving the dosirak to eat later tonight._
> 
> _Thank you again~_
> 
> _Minho_

He pushed the letter back over to Kibum. “Does this sound okay?”

Kibum scanned his note as he bit into one of the strawberries he stole off of Minho’s plate. “Yup! Are you done?” he asked as he dropped the green end of the strawberry on Minho’s mostly-clean plate. He nodded as he grabbed the last strawberry before Kibum could, smiling triumphantly around the berry as he took a bite. "We should send this then."

"Won't Nutmeg be too tired to fly all the way back?"

He finished rolling up the parchment and took the red ribbon out of his pocket to tie it off. "Nah, he's young and strong. He'll be fine. Come on!"

Snow flurried around them as the stepped up to the bridge, and Kibum caught Minho as he slipped on the thick layer of ice covering the bridge. Minho shivered as he clung to the banister. He tried his best to keep his balance for Kibum's sake, as he was holding onto Minho's arm tightly. They made slow progress across the bridge, but neither of them fell, so Minho was satisfied.

The steps up to the owlery proved to be even more slippery than the bridge, so they took each step carefully and with much effort. Kibum was panting when they reached the top. "That was a lot harder than I was expecting."

"Getting down will be harder," Minho sniffed and wiped at his cold-kissed nose. He helped Kibum up onto the top step and they went inside.

Straw crunched beneath his feet as he stepped inside. Minho scrunched his nose at the stench from the months of uncleaned owl droppings. Kibum pulled him back and pointed at the mouse skeleton he had been about to step on. They both shuddered and huddled together, looking up at the cubbies that housed the owls. Countless pairs of reflective eyes watched their slow progression into the perch.

“Meg?” Kibum said, his voice quiet in the wind whipping through the open windows. He raised his voice. “Meg?”

The tawny owl flew down from his cubby on the fifth level and to Kibum’s outstretched arm. He kissed the owl’s forehead who fluttered his wings in response. Kibum produced the letter from his back pocket and held it out for Nutmeg to take. He trilled as he inspected the roll.

“Take it to Grandma, please?” Nutmeg grabbed the ribbon in his beak and spread his wings and flew out of the southern window. Kibum’s teeth chattered as he said, “Okay, let’s go.”

The lunch bell rang in the distance once the reached the bottom step of the owlery tower. Kibum groaned and Minho laughed. “Come on, it’s just a little further.” Kibum glared at Minho as he pulled him across the snow toward the bridge.

They kicked the snow off their shoes and shook the snow out of their hair as they reached the castle. Kibum grabbed Minho’s arm before he could go sit at Hufflepuff by himself and pulled him toward Slytherin. Aaron and Callum had just finished their lunch and were getting up from the table.

“Hey,” Callum said to Kibum. “We’re going back to the room for a minute. Want us to grab you anything?”

“My camera? It’s in my drawer.”

“Sure.” Callum patted the table as he backed away. “Be right back.”

“‘Kay.” Kibum took a bite of his sandwich, and held his hand over his over his mouth. “You wanna go back outside after lunch?”

“Yeah! What are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know.”

Aaron returned with the polaroid when Kibum was finishing up his lunch, dropping it off and quickly returning to Callum who was waiting for him in the doorway.

The snowfall was getting heavier by the time they reached the courtyard. Minho pulled his scarf up to his chin and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. Back home, it didn’t often snow. Sometimes, when it got cold, frost would glitter in the air. Minho thought it was beautiful, but this was nice, too.

He looked up at the overcast sky and tried to blink away the snowflakes that collected on his eyelashes. There was a click off to the side, and Minho turned to find Kibum lowering his polaroid. “There...there was a cardinal.” When Minho glanced behind him to where Kibum pointed, there was nothing. It must have flown away.

“Can I see it?”

Kibum shoved the undeveloped picture into his pocket. “Let’s go down to the yard. Do you think they have sleds in the castle somewhere?”

“Maybe...do you want to go check?”

He shrugged. “Race you!” Kibum said, running down the hall to the front entrance.

Minho grinned and ran after him, almost catching up to him by the time he reached the doors. “Careful!” he yelled after him as Kibum bolted down the path to the Whomping Willow. He jogged after him and held his arms out to keep his balance until Kibum slipped, and he cried out as he fell backward into the snow. Minho’s heart pounded in his ears as he hurried to reach him.

As he drew near, Minho could hear Kibum giggling and he relaxed. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stopped at Kibum’s feet, smiling down at him as he shook his head. “Help me up.” Minho reached out his hand to grab Kibum’s, his eyes widened in surprise as he pulled him down into the snow. “That’s what you get for laughing at me.”

Minho snorted. “I wasn’t, though.”

“You were gonna.”

Kibum stuck out his tongue to catch some snow and Minho sighed heavily. He still couldn’t believe that Kibum stayed behind, just for him. He could have been at home with Grandma, eating his favorite foods and spending time with his family, but he stayed.

He wasn’t great with words, never really had been, but he wanted to thank Kibum for staying at Hogwarts for him. Would that be weird? He started to speak, hoping that the right words will find their way to the forefront of his mind, but Kibum distracted him by holding up the polaroid.

“Lean in.” Minho did, his head pressing against Kibum’s as he gave the camera a smile. “One, two -- “ _Click!_

Kibum sniffed as he lowered the polaroid, and grabbed the new picture from the slot. “I want hot cocoa.” Minho nodded, the snow crunching beneath his head, and Kibum sat up. “Let’s get some. Oh, thanks,” he said as Minho brushed the snow off his back. “Hey, do you want to spend the night again?”

“I don’t think I should. I don’t want to get in trouble with Rhys.”

“Okay.”

They both sighed, and Kibum grabbed Minho’s arm, pulling him up out of the snow. He took an unexpected left once they were inside the castle. “Where are we going?”

“To get your stuff out of my room before it gets too dark. Then we can get hot cocoa.” Minho stopped walking, staring wide-eyed at Kibum until he turned around. “What?”

Minho shook his head. “Nothing.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling, and Minho returned the smile.

“Let’s go!


	7. Possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was Saturday, so no classes, and there was a Quidditch game, which was why Minho was so excited. He let go of Kibum when they stepped outside and shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. It was the one he wore on the train – for Machester United. It was Minho’s father’s football team, and Minho said that Quidditch was a lot like football.
> 
> Kibum picked up his pace to match Minho’s as he started to jog across the snow-covered lawn toward the Quidditch pitch."

“Kibum!” 

He blinked and looked up from his plate of jellied toast and scrambled eggs. “Hmm?” 

Minho bounced on the balls of his feet beside him before Kibum scooted over on the bench and patted the seat. “Ready to go?”

“I’m still eating, Minho.” 

He snorted and bumped their shoulders together, his puffy coat squishing between them. “I can see that.” Kibum picked up his cup of pumpkin juice and took a slow sip, sputtering when Minho nudged his shoulder again. “Come on, if we don’t hurry, our spots will be taken!”

“All right, all right, calm down.” Kibum grabbed one of the halves of toast on his plate before he turned to stand. “Let’s go.” 

Minho grabbed his arm and grinned, pulling him along with the flow of the crowd. It was Saturday, so no classes, and there was a Quidditch game, which was why Minho was so excited. He let go of Kibum when they stepped outside and shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. It was the one he wore on the train – for Machester United. It was Minho’s father’s football team, and Minho said that Quidditch was a lot like football. 

Kibum picked up his pace to match Minho’s as he started to jog across the snow-covered lawn toward the Quidditch pitch. 

It was a nice day for February. The sky was a bright blue and practically cloudless. There was a chill in the slight breeze that blew right through the sweater he got for Christmas. His teeth chattered, and he continued to run alongside Minho until he split off at the first sight of the Hufflepuff tower.

“Hurry! I’ll meet you up there!” 

Sniffing, Kibum rubbed his cold-numbed nose and darted over to the Slytherin tower. He slipped around and past the other older Slytherins who were making their way to the stands. 

A bustle rang out across the pitch, excited murmurs and the occasional shout calling to one of the players warming up on the field. It was a Slytherin versus Gryffindor match, so the buzz was more enthusiastic than usual. Old rivalries and all, apparently. Dad mentioned the rivalry a couple times, but he never bothered with it when he was in school. 

For Kibum’s part, there was no one interesting enough in Gryffindor to distract himself with that he could find yet.

Once he broke free of the stairwell, he stood on his tiptoes and found Minho sitting on the very edge of the Hufflepuff side. He was waving him over with a bright grin, and Kibum couldn’t help but smile himself as he weaved through the others and the benches to sit beside Minho.

“Who do you think is gonna win?” 

“Slytherin, of course,” Minho said, scoffing. “With the combination of their striker and forward, no one can beat them.” 

Kibum squinted, nodding. “I don’t think those are the actual names of the positions, though.” Granted, he wasn’t sure. Dad never tried out for Quidditch and Mom was only a beater for her fourth and fifth year. That is, until she took a bludger to the shoulder and Grandma told her that she was not to play Quidditch anymore. Because of this, Kibum never took up any sort of interest in the sport…until now. 

Minho enjoyed it, so he attended every game with him.

“Yeah, I know.” Minho shrunk in his seat, hiding his face partially with the collar of his puffy winter coat. He picked at his thumbnail and sighed, glancing over at the other Hufflepuffs. “I don’t know the real names, though.” 

“That’s okay. Me either.” 

The wind picked up and gusted through the stands, a shiver running through Kibum. He pulled his sleeves over his hands and held them up to his mouth, blowing a little warmth into them. Minho glanced his way when he sniffed, and soon he was slipping out of his puffy coat and helping him into it.

“Won’t you get cold?” 

Minho shook his head, grinning as he tugged on the front of his hoodie. “I’ve got my sweater on underneath.” 

Kibum nodded, smiling, and turned his attention back to the pitch when Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The players rose to their positions, and with another blow of the whistle, the quaffle was thrown, and the game began. 

It was sort of cute, how into the game Minho got every time. He would stand up at yell instructions – mostly in Korean – to the players as they flew past. He would sit back down when Kibum pulled on his arm. “Ah! He should have passed it to her. This is why Gryffindor is fifty points down.” Kibum nodded, blinking in surprise when Minho shot back up on his feet. “Pass it! Pass! Ugh…”

“I thought you were cheering for Slytherin,” Kibum said when Minho was sitting again. 

“I still am, but they’re just making careless mistakes. Like!” He gestured madly to the play that was unfolding, but Kibum didn’t see anything wrong with what the Gryffindor players were doing. They were all just a mass of green and burgundy billowing robes and flying broomsticks to him. “If Dad was their coach, he’d be so mad.” He leaned forward and squinted as he watched, his elbow digging into Kibum’s leg. 

Movement from above caught his eye, as well as a slight glimmer of gold, and Kibum glanced up to see Gryffindor’s seeker on the move. He nudged Minho and pointed up as Slytherin’s seeker took chase. “I mean, Gryffindor could still win, if the seeker” – he did remember that one position – “catches the snitch.”

“Right. I forgot about that. Football doesn’t have anything like that.” 

“Because there’s only one ball.” 

Minho snorted. “Yeah, it’s a lot easier that way. Oh!” He grabbed Kibum’s arm and shook it as he stood again, pulling Kibum partially up with him. Kibum focused where Minho was watching to find the Slytherin seeker surging forward to reach the snitch. “Get it! Get – “ 

“Get it!” Kibum yelled with him, along with most of the other Slytherins to his left. 

The Gryffindor seeker shoved Slytherin aside, and then everyone in these stands booed. She flipped over and continued after the snitch that had changed course, diving and capturing it before it reached the ground. A hush fell over the crowd as she fell off her broom and rolled to a stop. Kibum clutched at the shoulder of Minho’s hoodie as he stood on his tiptoes. She stood, brushed herself off, and held up the snitch with a triumphant whoop.

A cheer erupted around the pitch, drowning out Kibum and Minho’s happy yells as they bounced up and down. 

This happened almost every time. Kibum always dreaded having to sit outside and watch a sport he didn’t understand or have any real interest in, but... Minho’s excitement or despair at the end of the game always seemed to rub off on him.

It was…well, it was kinda fun.

Kibum stopped jumping and glanced over at Minho, who followed suit after a couple more excited bounces. He gave Kibum a tight squeeze of a hug, shaking him a bit. “Oh, that was so good! When’s the next game?”

“Uh…” Kibum squinted, trying to visualize the schedule in his mind. “Next week? I think? I don’t know.” 

The crowd was starting to disperse, and Minho released Kibum before darting off to the Hufflepuff stairwell. “I’ll meet you down there!”

Kibum nodded and hurried to the back of the line on the opposite side of the stands. Did Minho know that he could try out for Quidditch next year? Would he? Probably, given how much he enjoyed watching the game. Also, he was getting pretty good at flying now, too. A couple of weeks ago, he did a flip during class – it had scared Kibum, at the time – that Madam Hooch praised him for his technique. Later, he revealed to Kibum that it had been an accident. 

Besides, he said Quidditch was like football, and he used to be on a team when he was back in Korea, so maybe that would help him? Kibum wasn’t sure, so he asked him when he reached where Minho was waiting for him on the lawn. Minho gulped and shoved his hands into his pockets with a shrug and a shake of his head. “Wait, why wouldn’t your football experience help you?”

“I don’t know.” They started walking, Minho setting a quick pace back to the castle. Their footsteps crunched in the thick layer of snow. “I mean, yeah, I played it, but I wasn’t as good as my brother.”

“So?” Minho scoffed, and he seemed to think that that was explanation enough. “Is your brother playing Quidditch?”

“No.” 

“Min – “ He stopped in his tracks and frowned as Minho stomped on ahead. This change in his attitude and countenance from what it was not even a moment before was jarring. Kibum gritted his teeth and jogged ahead, grabbing Minho’s arm and pulling him to a stop. “Hey,” he said when Minho tried to pull away from him. Kibum waited until the people around them were out of earshot before he asked, “What’s wrong?” 

“I – “ he sighed and rolled his eyes, looking down at the ground. “I’m not very…capable at football, so why would I be any good at Quidditch? It looks ten times harder than football so why would I – “ 

“Hey.” Minho met Kibum’s eyes, his bottom lip trembling. “You don’t have to try out for it if you don’t want to. I was just thinking you might enjoy playing it.”

Minho sniffed and nodded, and he blinked a few times before he gave Kibum a half-hearted smile. “Yeah, maybe. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to think about.”

Nodding, Kibum rubbed Minho’s back until they reached the castle. He decided then and there not to bring up the topic again. It didn’t take long, however, for Minho to mention it on his own. 

It wasn’t much -- just a simple comment during the Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor game a few weeks later. Instead of saying something like “Ugh, he should have passed that to the striker” he said “He missed his chance! I would have passed the quaffle to the striker.” Kibum smiled but did not respond. 

A couple days later, Kibum found _Quidditch Through the Ages_ hidden in Minho’s stack of books in their study closet. He glanced at the door before he bent down and slipped it out of its place, flipping through the pages Minho had bookmarked. The doorknob jiggled and Kibum rushed to put the book back in his place. By the time Minho was inside and the door was closed behind him, Kibum was lounging casually in his spot, flipping through _The Standard Book Of Spells_.

“Oh, are we starting with Charms?” Kibum made a non-committal noise as Minho shuffled through his books and found his Charms textbook. “Good, because I had a question about the Locking Spell but Flitwick was busy after class.”

“Pronunciation?” Minho nodded and lowered his eyes with a slight wince. “That’s okay. I struggled with it, too. Let’s practice it together.” 

“Okay.” Minho found the spell and placed his finger on the page and glanced over at Kibum while he waited. 

“Col - “ 

“Cor…Col - “ 

Kibum nodded. “ - lo - “ 

“ - lo - “ 

“ - por - “ 

“ - por - “ 

“ - tus.” 

“ - tuth…ugh. Tuth.” Minho grimaced and banged his head against the wall. “I hate my lisp.” 

Kibum slipped his hand behind Minho’s head before he hit it against the wall again. “It’s okay.”

“Co…colloportuth.” He rested his head against the wall and turned to look at Kibum. “Why is Latin so hard?“ 

Kibum rubbed the back of Minho's head as he sat forward, and Kibum folded his hands in his lap over his open textbook. “It takes a while to get used to.” 

“Colloportu…s.” He sat up and scooted forward, finding the spell in the book again. “Colloportus!” Minho looked over at Kibum, grinning when Kibum held up his hand for a high-five. 

“Now we just gotta learn the wand movements.” 

“Later.” Minho dropped his textbook on the floor and stretched out on his stomach, resting his chin on his folded arms. “Colloportuth…colloportus.” 

Kibum joined him on the floor, glancing over at Minho’s books again. His eyes settled on _Quidditch Through the Ages_ again. “Why do you have that?” he asked, nodding to the library book when Minho hummed in question.

“Oh, uh,” he chewed on his bottom lip. “Well, I was thinking, I wanted to…to learn more about the, uh, game.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“And well, um, I guess I might want…I’m thinking about maybe…” 

Kibum sighed. “Spit it out, Minho.”

“I might want to try out for the team next year…possibly,” he said, his voice trailing off and getting quieter. 

“Really?” Kibum grinned as he sat up and Minho turned his head and nodded. “I’m glad. I think you’ll do really well.” 

“Maybe.” Minho sat up slowly and reached for the library book, flipping it open to the first bookmark. “We’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so if you noticed the chapters a) I finally finished planning this in its entirety, and b) yes, it's really gonna be this long (I'm so excited and omg I have so much work to do lol)...I hope that you all will stick with this AU until it's finished ^^


	8. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where _did_ he belong?
> 
> Here at Hogwarts? Probably not. He struggled so much with the lessons and ate up too much of Kibum’s time getting him to help him pass his classes. Back with his family? The most logical answer, but...He hadn’t heard from them since the day he left, and it was nearing on April. Korea? Sure. It had been his home, until now, after all.

“I hope you all are ready to learn something new today.”

Minho dropped his wand into his _Standard Book of Spells_ , closed the book, and looked up to find Flitwick walking through the classroom. He held a tray of tea things above his head as he made his way over to his desk. Before he could reach it, however, Flitwick tripped and dropped the tray of china.

The crashing porcelain startled them all. Minho gasped and leaned forward to see if the professor needed any help.

“Professor?”

“Are you all right?”

“Do you nee -- “

Flitwick smiled as he stood, brushing the spilled tea off his knees. “I’m fine, thank you for your concern.” He reached for his wand in his coat pocket and flourished it over the mess of spilled tea and broken china.

There was a tinkling sound as the porcelain shards slid across the floor, reforming into the teacups and teapot that they were before. Minho’s eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent _O_. He blinked when he heard a couple of snickers, and glanced over to find a couple of the Gryffindor boys watching him.

Damian Brent, his deskmate, leaned over to his friend Jared O’Henry. He whispered, loud enough for Minho to hear him, “You’d think he’s never seen magic before.” Jared snorted. Damian turned back to watch Flitwick put the repaired tray of tea things on his messy desk. Minho stared at him, confused.

He had been saying little comments like this all year. What had Minho done to him? He didn’t understand. Frowning, he opened his textbook and tried to find where they had left off in the last lesson.

“Today, you’ve gotten to see a first-hand use of the spell we’re learning today. Reparo, the Mending Charm. It was invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the Ministry, in early 1754. She was in Rome at the time -- “

Minho found the page, and read the inscription under the illustration. She stood before the Coliseum, her wand brandished and the broken shards of limestone pillars hovering mid-air. He hummed as he turned the page and glanced over at Damian to see if he noticed.

It looked like he didn’t. Minho let out a tiny sigh of relief.

Flitwick knocked a teacup off the tray and onto the floor again, the crash drawing Minho’s attention. “Now,” he said, hopping off his desk and holding his wand over the pile of shards. “The actual spell is quite simple. It’s Reparo. Say it with me, class?”

“Reparo,” Minho and everyone around him echoed after the professor.

“Good. The wand motion is simple, too. It’s -- “ he drew a blocky, clockwise spiral in the air. Minho grabbed his wand and copied it with smaller motions. “Now you try.” Damian sighed heavily and recreated it along with Minho. “Again? Good job, everyone.”

Minho folded his hands and rested them on his open textbook, nerves fluttering in his stomach as he leaned forward. What he was nervous about, he wasn’t sure...maybe he was excited? Whatever. Flitwick performed the spell over the teacup and made the repaired cup float up into his hand.

“Does anyone have any questions from your reading last night?”

One of his fellow Hufflepuffs raised her hand. The question escaped Minho’s notice since he was searching for the passage that had confused him. He wished he had Kibum about it last night when they were studying. But, they had both been rather caught up in their essay for Transfiguration, so he forgot.

There it was -- page 129.

>   _While the Mending Charm is able to repair any inanimate object, it cannot mend any physical injury on a living creature. Such a use of magic is proscribed as per order of the Ministry of Magic. Serious scarring could occur if the Mending Charm is used on any person or animal to heal their wounds._

When he read that, he remembered the times years ago where he accidentally healed his brother or cousin’s injuries with a brush of his finger. Had he hurt them? Would they be all right? Was there another spell that could be used instead of the Mending Charm for that?

“Anyone else?” Minho raised his hand tentatively. “Yes, Mr. Choi?”

“Um...” The soles of his shoes squeaked on the floor as he stepped out from behind his desk. He cleared his throat and glanced over at the class, who were all watching him -- was he imagining it or was Damian smirking? Minho toyed with the hem of his sweater as he looked up and to find Flitwick watching him. “Well...”

The scrutiny of the everyone made him feel small, so small.

Minho smoothed his sweater and reached for the textbook, his shaking fingers trying to find the passage again. There were a couple giggles behind him, and Minho’s stomach churned. Flitwick said “Quiet, please,” as sternly as possible for him. Minho squinted at the text as it switched between Hangul and English. He tried to make it out, but the random mix of letters and characters made it impossible. Instead, he set the book down on the desk again.

He wished now that he had never raised his hand.

“Um...this, uh, this -- ” his eyes widened and he felt himself go a little numb. What was the right word? It was right on the tip of his tongue, and he looked back down to his deskmate. He was half-way expecting to see Kibum there, ready to help him but...he wasn’t. It was still Damian. Minho cringed and looked down at his book, and saw the word he was searching for written in full English. “ -- spell -- ” he drew the _S_ out a little too long, and he internally cursed his lisp. “ -- help wound?”

“Oh, no, no. If Reparo is used on a living being then extreme scarring will happen. It’s not a pretty sight to see.” The giggles had morphed into muffled laughter now. Flitwick tapped his wand on the desk, quieting the class. He looked back up at Minho, who was still standing. “Good question, Mr. Choi. Do you have another one?”

“Can...” Minho shifted and folded his hands before him as he trained his eyes on the wood grain of his desk. Why did he stand up? He could have asked Kibum later; he should have waited until then. “Other spell...work?”

“Oh yes! There are many other spells -- and even potions -- that can be used to heal physical wounds! My personal favorite is Episkey, but you all won’t be learning any of the Healing Charms until your third year.”

Minho returned to his seat, and Flitwick directed his attention to the Gryffindor boy who raised his hand. His hands trembled as he rubbed them over his thighs as he let out a shaky breath. Damian scooted over and flipped to page 129 in Minho’s textbook. “You know, it does say that right there in the text. Can’t you read?”

His chest tightened and he nodded stiffly.

“You know,” Damian said, clicking his tongue and leaning away. “You should go back to wherever you belong. You’d probably be a lot better off.”

“K...Korea?”

“Sure, whatever.” Minho turned to Damian, but he had lost interest in Minho again. Instead, he watched as Flitwick returned to the podium.

Class passed by in a blur, then. Minho blinked away the tears stinging his eyes. He tried to focus on the presented material but he just couldn’t. Damian’s words kept echoing in his mind. “Where you belong...where you belong.”

Where _did_ he belong?

Here at Hogwarts? Probably not. He struggled so much with the lessons and ate up too much of Kibum’s time getting him to help him pass his classes. Back with his family? The most logical answer, but...He hadn’t heard from them since the day he left, and it was nearing on April. Korea? Sure. It had been his home, until now, after all.

One thing was for sure: as long as he was at Hogwarts, he would never speak up in class again.

Minho sniffed when the bell rang to end class. Flitwick was giving out homework as they all collected their things, but Minho couldn’t hear him. The cacophony of sounds was gibberish to his ears. He’d have to ask Kibum for it later. He was swept up with the crowd on the way to History of Magic.

His and Kibum’s desk was empty and, as usual, Damian and Jared occupied the desk before them. Minho ignored their chatter as he rummaged through his backpack, found his textbook, and set it on his desk. He folded his arms around the book and laid his cheek on the cover of the book with a heavy sigh.

Sunlight streamed weakly through the windows as if there was a cloud moving over it. Little specks of dust glittered as they filtered through the sun-gilded space. It didn’t take long for the clouds to part and allow the sun to brighten up the classroom.

_Thud!_

Minho started at the sound of a book being dropped on the desk and sat up. He looked behind him to see Kibum sliding into his spot beside him.

“Hey!” He said, his cheeks dimpling as he grinned. The tension in Minho’s chest lessened slightly and he tried to return the smile. Kibum’s smile dimmed as he searched Minho’s face. “Something wrong?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Minho saw Damian and Jared turn a little in their seats to listen. “No, I’m okay.”

“So,” Kibum scooted closer and lowered his voice, his eyes glittering with excitement. “Jemima forgot her gloves and accidentally touched the aconite leaves we were studying. Sprout taught us how to treat the rash right then and there.”

“Is she okay?”

“Oh yeah, Sprout knows what she’s doing. She was Grandma’s favorite teacher in school and I can understand why. She actually kinda reminds me of Grandma.”

Minho gave Kibum half a smile. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“She’s looking forward to meeting you, too. Hopefully, you can meet her at King’s Cross.”

“Yeah.”

Tears brimmed in Minho’s eyes again and he looked away. He fiddled with the corner of his textbook as Binns materialized behind his desk. He adjusted his silvery glasses as his voice droned, “We’re picking up where we left off last time. Turn to page 203. _Chapter 7: Emeric the Evil_.”

Pages rustled as they all turned to find their places. Minho sighed and leaned against Kibum as he flipped through his textbook, their shoulders pressed together. The simple touch was enough to calm him, if only a little, and he blinked away the tears.

He ended up falling asleep, which was not unusual in the slightest for this class. When he woke, the classroom was empty, save for Kibum and him. Kibum’s quill stilled when Minho shifted and sat up a little. He continued to write as Minho yawned.

“Feeling any better?” He nodded without lifting his head from Kibum’s shoulder. “Can you tell me what’s wrong now?”

Sighing, Minho sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. “I...well,” he stuttered, cringing at his English as he thought back to Charms. He cleared his throat and switched to Korean. “I think I was just tired.”

“Ah.” Kibum set his quill on the desk and blew on his notes to dry the ink. “I’m glad you got to nap, then. Are you sure that’s all that was wrong?”

He could tell Kibum what Damian said, but what good would come from that? None. He would just be more of a burden to his best friend here and he didn’t want to drive Kibum away or worry him unnecessarily.

Back in Korea, he once told Minseok about a couple of kids making some jokes at his expense. Then, Minseok had gotten in trouble for fighting. When Minseok explained what happened to their parents, they ended up reprimanding Minho for getting his brother in detention instead of going to the proper authorities.

No, he could handle this himself -- even if handling it meant doing his best to ignore whatever Damian and his friends said. They were only words, after all...he could do this.

“Yup!” Minho smiled and stretched his arms over his textbook. He looked back at Kibum after he slipped _A History of Magic_ back into his backpack. “Let’s go to lunch, I’m getting hungry.”

“Me too.” Kibum gathered up his things and followed after Minho as he started to the door.

“Race you there!” Minho grinned and picked up his pace when Kibum laughed, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridor as they ran.


	9. Exceedingly Acceptable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Great Hall was eerily quiet.
> 
> It was the morning of the second day of exams. The only sounds that could be heard were the scraping of forks against plates and the occasional heavy sigh. The seventh years hadn’t been seen in days. Most of them were holed up in their rooms or the library studying for their N.E.W.T.s.

The Great Hall was eerily quiet.

It was the morning of the second day of exams. The only sounds that could be heard were the scraping of forks against plates and the occasional heavy sigh. The seventh years hadn’t been seen in days. Most of them were holed up in their rooms or the library studying for their N.E.W.T.s. 

Minho’s head thudded against the table, rattling the plates and silverware. Kibum dragged his fork through his eggs and syrup as he glanced at Minho. He offered him a sympathetic smile, even though Minho wasn’t looking. “Nervous?” He groaned, and Kibum his hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay.” 

“How do you know, though?” 

“Because I took my Charms exam yesterday. And we’ve been studying the pronunciations for weeks now. You’ll do great.”

Minho sat up slowly, sighing. “I guess you’re right. What other exams do you have today?” 

“Potions first, then Herbology. Flying after lunch.” 

Minho perked up. “I forgot about Flying.” Kibum made a non-committal noise and Minho sobered quickly, grabbing his hand under the table. He glanced across the table to Aaron and Callum, who were both staring blankly at their full plates, and Minho scooted a little closer to him. “Be sure to stand by me, okay? I’ll make sure you're okay.” 

He nodded absently. Kibum had never liked flying, not even in Muggle airplanes – even though those were far safer than a stupid old broomstick. He wasn’t sure what the Flying exam would include, all he knew is he wasn’t looking forward to it. Minho squeezed his hand a little tighter as the bell rang for class. 

They pushed away their uneaten plates of food and trudged to the doorway. Minho kept his hold on Kibum’s hand as the other students swept past them, and pulled him into a quick hug. “Good luck with Potions.” 

Kibum smiled into Minho’s shoulder. “Yeah, I hope I don’t forget anything.”

A couple seconds of silence passed before Minho snorted. “Really?” He smacked Kibum’s shoulder as he released him of his embrace. 

“What?” Kibum laughed as Minho shook his head and started walking toward the staircases. “Because it’s the Forgetfulness Potion. Get it?” 

Minho turned and kept walking backward, a lop-sided grin betraying his amusement. “No, I get it. It’s just stupid, that’s all.” Once he reached the staircase, he turned away from Kibum and started up the stairs. 

“I hope you do well in Charms! Good luck, Minho!” He waved as he darted up the stairs and out of Kibum’s line of sight. 

Kibum sighed and hurried down the stairs to the basement to the Potions classroom. This was one exam he wasn’t necessarily worried about. He had grown up watching Grandma and Mom concocting potions and asked as many questions as he could. The Forgetfulness Potion was difficult and he had yet to actually make it, but, even so, he was sure that he would do well. 

His steps echoed in the darkened hallway, and he quickened his pace when he heard the sounds of his classmates’ voices following him. He wished he had been able to take his exams with Minho. With the way exams were set up, everyone was able to take whichever exams they felt the readiest for, or rather, just wanted to get over with first. 

Yesterday, he had taken his Charms, History of Magic, and Astronomy exams. And, Minho had taken his History of Magic, Potions, and Astronomy exams. Minho had wanted an extra day to study Charms, so Kibum took it to give him the peace of mind. Minho was doing the same for him with Defense Against the Dark Arts today. 

Even though their schedule was working out nicely, he wished that they could take their exams together. 

Warm candlelight seeped through the open doorway to the Potions classroom, inviting him inside. Kibum grabbed his cauldron from his cubby hole on the bookshelf. He froze when a scrap of parchment floated to the floor. With a quick glance around, he hunkered down and picked it up.

> _Good luck! I hope you don’t forget any ingredients!_  

Kibum snorted and stuffed Minho’s note in his robe pocket. He wrote _that_ and still had the audacity to say his joke was stupid? Kibum clicked his tongue and tried not to smile. He failed. 

“All right, everyone, select a workstation and let’s get started.” Kibum looked up at Professor Slughorn and hurried to his favorite spot, stepping up on the stool. He set his cauldron on the rack over the small candle and folded his hands around his mortar. Slughorn walked around the room, checking each workstation for any evidence of notes for the potion recipe.

Ironically, they were supposed to replicate the Forgetfulness Potion from memory.

Once he was sitting, Slughorn extended his hand and flipped the hovering hourglass above his desk. “You may begin.” 

Kibum’s heart thudded in his ears as he stepped off his stool. He joined the others swarming to the bookshelves full of ingredients. “Lethe, Lethe…ah,” he grabbed one of the thin phials of Lethe River Water. He crouched to grab a pouch of the Standard Ingredient from the bottom shelf. Then, he went over to the herbs on the other bookshelf to get a tied bunch Valerian sprigs and mistletoe berries. 

Once he was back to his workstation, Kibum dumped the ingredients and grabbed the beaker and hurried over to the line by the sink. Why was he nervous? He was good at Potions; he could do this. “I can do this.” 

A Gryffindor boy – Damian, Kibum thought his name was – glanced over his shoulder at him as he was filling up his beaker. Kibum’s eyes narrowed and Damian looked away, turning the faucet off when he was through. 

Kibum stepped up and squinted at the two-pint mark on the side of the beaker, being careful to fill it up exactly to the mark. He poured the water into his cauldron and lit the cold candle beneath with a match. He arranged his ingredients around his mortar and pestle while he waited for the water to come to simmer. 

Analecia was already stirring in her Lethe River Water, and she gave Kibum a discreet thumbs up when he met her gaze. He smiled and went up on his tiptoes to check his cauldron. The water was simmering now, so he unstoppered the phial and carefully let two drops fall inside. He went to stir it but stopped himself, taking a deep breath instead.

Not yet. 

“What’s next, what’s next…” The Valerian sprigs, of course. He pulled two of the sprigs out of the bunch, dropping them into the cauldron. Now, he could stir. He grabbed the long, thin silver spoon and plopped it inside and immediately blanked on which direction to stir it. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, and immediately glanced around to see if anyone heard him. 

He was in the clear. 

He stirred it three times – he remembered that much – and tapped the excess moisture off the spoon as he reached for his wand. Kibum waved it over the cauldron and the steam cleared for a second. 

Now, to wait. For at least forty-five minutes. 

The time crawled by. Fifteen minutes in, he had already measured out the Standard Ingredient that he needed. Twenty minutes in, he was crushing the mistletoe berries and Standard Ingredient together in his mortar. Kibum sighed, resting his chin on his fist as he glanced around at the others. They were all attempting to find ways to entertain themselves. Analecia was passing notes with Gilbert Edwards, who Kibum knew to be one of Minho’s dorm mates. 

How was Minho doing in Charms? Had he already performed the spells? Or was he waiting until the end? 

Kibum sighed again and reached into his pocket for the note Minho left. He stared at the hurriedly scrawled characters and smiled again. In the middle of the workstations at his table, Kibum spotted a spare quill and inkwell. He glanced over at Slughorn, who was almost nodding off, and reached for them, dipping the quill into the ink. He doodled little stars and underlined some of the characters while emphasizing others by retracing them. 

In his peripheral vision, Slughorn sat up and flipped the hourglass over, and announced, “Halfway through.” 

It was time to finish this off. 

Kibum stuffed Minho’s note back into his pocket and rubbed two pinches of the crushed mixture into the bubbling cauldron. He stirred it carefully, leaning over to inspect the potion. He wrinkled his nose at the strong scent of rosemary wafting up to him in the steam and grabbed his wand. 

“Obliviate,” he whispered, being careful to point his wand directly at his own cauldron. The steam dissipated for a moment before returning, and he blew out the candle before he sat back and waited for Slughorn to stop by his workstation. 

He was speaking with Damian now, and he just dropped something inside his cauldron. Slughorn nodded and jotted something down in his notebook. He nodded and Damian stood, wiped his hands off on his robes and started cleaning up his workstation. Kibum’s eyes widened as Slughorn looked up, met his eyes, and started over to him. 

“What have we got here, my boy?” 

Kibum held back a grin in an attempt to keep himself from making a joke. It didn't work. “Did you forget, or..?” 

Slughorn chuckled to himself and patted Kibum’s shoulder. “No, of course not.” He tore a strip of paper out of his notebook – Kibum saw his name written there – and dropped it into the simmering potion. “Hmm,” Slughorn leaned in, wafting the steam toward him. “How many mistletoe berries did you add?” 

“Uh…five.” 

“Oh, all right.” Slughorn fished the scrap of paper out with Kibum’s spoon and showed it to him. “See here – don’t touch the potion – your name should be completely disappeared by now.” The _UM_ was still there, albeit slightly blurry and slowly melting away. “You’ve added one too many berries, and that’s delaying the reaction.” Kibum nodded, blinking when the _U_ vanished. “Otherwise, you’ve done a good job. You may clean up and go to your next exam.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Leave your potion in the cauldron, I’ll take care of it.” 

Kibum nodded and Slughorn went on to his next student, leaving Kibum to breathe a sigh of relief. Not perfect, but adequate. He could deal with that. 

He started picking up the excess ingredients and hurried to put them away on the shelves. Analecia stepped up next to him as she stretched to put her Lethe River Water away. “How’d you do?” she asked. 

“Okay. You?” 

Analecia nodded, quieting when Slughorn walked behind them. Kibum finished putting away his ingredients and headed for the door, hurrying to the third floor to see if Minho was finished with his exam yet.

* * * * * * * * * *

“I hope you do well in Charms! Good luck, Minho!” 

Minho waved back at him as he kept running up the staircase, his stomach churning with every step. He came to a sudden stop at the top step and clutched at his stomach, groaning. Was he feeling sick because he didn’t eat breakfast? Or because he was nervous? Or was it both? 

Probably both. 

He rounded the corner and stopped after another couple steps, and covered his mouth with his the back of his hand. 

Exams were his nemesis, even in Muggle schools. School came naturally to Minseok, of course, and he always tried to help Minho with his studies, when he could. He was glad, so glad, that he had Kibum to help him all year. But now, Kibum wasn’t here. 

His stomach clenched and he sat down on the stairs, burying his face in his crossed arms as he breathed deeply. In and out…in and out. Footsteps hurried past him, the passersby quieting as they stepped around him. 

He could do this; he had to. He didn’t want to have to wait until tomorrow. That would mean two full days without eating, and Minho knew he didn’t want that. He moved to stand, cringing as the staircase seemed to waver beneath his feet. Minho took deliberate steps down the stairs and returned to the first floor, stumbling in the direction of the infirmary. 

“What can I do for you, dear?” Madam Pomfrey asked as he reached the open doorway. Minho held his stomach and grimaced. The head nurse ushered him inside. “Exam jitters?” Minho nodded, frowning. He didn’t know what _jitters_ meant. But, she had said exams before it so, odds were his answer was yes to whatever she was asking him. “I have just the thing.”

She had him sit on the edge of one of the hospital beds next to a cabinet full of potions and herbs. “Upset stomach?” Minho nodded, and she reached for a phial before she pulled her hand back. “Have you eaten anything today?” He shook his head and she reached for a different phial, a clear, pink-tinted potion. 

“Ventrinfi.” She shook the phial before she unstoppered it and reached for a teaspoon on the nightstand. “It will help settle your stomach a bit.” She filled the teaspoon and held it out for Minho to take. 

It was cloyingly sweet, and Minho gulped it down with a great effort, his eyes squeezing shut as he smacked his lips. When he opened his eyes, the phial was back in its place on the shelf, and she was offering him a piece of something that looked like soft caramel. 

“Chamomile caramel. To help with your nerves. Well, and to mask the aftertaste of the Ventrinfi.” 

Minho chewed it, the chamomile giving the caramel a slight floral flavor. It was nice. “Thank you,” he said, once he swallowed the caramel, and gave the head nurse a small smile. 

“Hurry along to your exam, now.” She moved aside as he darted out of the infirmary, feeling surprisingly less anxious as he rushed up the stairs to the Charms classroom. His stomach churned again as he slid into one of the empty seats, but he didn’t feel as though he was going to throw up, now. 

At least there was that.

“Madeline Brennen?” 

“Here!” came the voice of one of the Ravenclaw girls across the room. “Marvin Carter?” No answer. Flitwick made a mark on his parchment. Minho sat up and glanced around to see if he could see his dormmate. He had mentioned last night that he was going to wait until tomorrow to take this exam. Marvin was probably in Potions with Kibum right now. “Choi Minho?” 

“Yeah?” he asked, tearing his attention away from the class and back to Professor Flitwick. Giggles tittered through the class and Minho sunk down in his seat as Flitwick continued roll call. He sent the parchment floating back to his podium once he was through, and he rubbed his hands together as he looked out at the class. 

“We’ll be performing the exams in alphabetical order.” Behind him, Amaryllis Zachary whimpered quietly. Minho turned around, offering her a small smile. She returned the smile and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. 

“Tracie Asher, come up here please.” Everyone turned toward her as she tied her bushy hair into a mess of a bun. She stood and traipsed down to Flitwick’s desk, clutching her wand before her with both hands. 

Last night when they were cramming for today’s exams, Kibum gave him an idea of what to expect. He would have to perform five spells – Kibum, of course, did not tell him which ones – in front of the class. Once they had gone to bed for the night, Minho had fallen asleep with his face in his copy of _Standard Book of Spells_ , trying to commit the charms they had learned this year to memory as best he could. 

Minho rested his chin on the thin tip of his wand, staring ahead as Tracie returned to her seat and Martin Albright took her place. There was a high-pitched ringing in his ears as Martin performed the spells. Every time he tried to pay attention to the exam currently happening, his vision would blur and he would avert his eyes. 

This must be what Kibum was referring to last night. 

“There’s no point in trying to pay attention to the other’s taking the exam,” Kibum had said as he passed him half of the last pumpkin pastie from Grandma’s care package. “Flitwick enchanted the front of the classroom. I couldn’t hear a thing when they went up there.”

“Really?” 

Kibum had nodded then, and wiped the crumbs from the pastie off his lips. “When I went up to do mine, there was like this -- “ he mimed an invisible wall and made a quiet _bwah!_ sound. Minho had frowned before he laughed in confusion. “Eh, you’ll see what I mean.” 

Martin was followed by Amy, Eion, Nathan, Bryan, and then Madeline. His stomach dropped as she completed the exam and practically skipped back to her seat. Flitwick glanced down to the parchment in his hands and then looked up, searching until he found him. 

“Choi Minho, you’re next.”

Gulping, Minho’s hand tightened around this wand as he stood and shuffled slowly to the front of the class. Flitwick had set up a table with props to perform the spells on – a stone from the Black Lake, an empty glass beaker from the Potions classroom, an unrolled sheet of parchment hovering in mid-air, a little wooden box with a lock on it, and a whole pineapple. 

According to Kibum, the point of the exam was that it was up to you to decide which spells to use on each of the items. 

As he stepped up to the table, there was a second where his vision distorted and a soft _whoosh_ sound washed over him -- as though he had dunked underwater. Minho blinked, his ears popping as he stepped up behind the stone at the head of the table. Flitwick stood at the other end of the table with the pineapple and gave him an encouraging smile as he fiddled with a small hourglass. 

“You may begin when you’re ready.” 

Minho nodded and twirled his wand between his fingers, staring intently at the stone before him. It would probably require the Levitation Charm. Satisfied with that answer, Minho glanced to the empty beaker. If he remembered right, Flitwick used it to contain the flame from the Fire-Making Spell, so he decided to go with that. 

"Mr. Choi?” He hummed in response and glanced over at Flitwick, who was watching him, concerned. “Are you all right?” 

“Yes. Sorry.” He cleared his throat and held his wand up. He could figure out the other three spells as he went. Hopefully. “I’m ready.” Flitwick flipped over the hourglass and set it down on the table, and Minho’s breath hitched as he tightened his grip on his wand. 

“I can do this.”

He took a deep breath a raised his wand with a swish and flicked his wrist at the stone. “Wingardium Leviosa!” The weight of the stone startled him as it began to levitate. Until this moment, he had only lifted feathers and leaves, so the weight had barely registered for him. Minho let out a surprised little _oh!_ and supported his wand arm with his other hand as he lifted the stone to eye level. He glanced over at Flitwick, who nodded, and he returned the stone to the table. 

Sunlight from the open windows glinted off the rim of the empty beaker. Minho squinted as he stepped up to the table. He pointed his wand at the beaker. “Incedio!” Sparks spurted from the tip of his wand as a small orange flame appeared in the center of the beaker. 

Minho grinned and stepped over to the hovering unrolled parchment. What...the hell was he supposed to do with this. When he looked over to Flitwick to gauge what he should do the parchment, he was met with a blank expression. He gulped, blinking rapidly. The first class they had after Christmas break, Flitwick had levitated and unraveled a bolt of fabric, slashing it to ribbons before the fabric hit the ground. He had used...the Severing Charm, if Minho remembered right. Another glance at Flitwick, and Minho raised his wand. “Diffindo!” The parchment rended, the two halves falling to the side and sliding off the table. 

Sighing, Minho moved on to the locked wooden box. This should be easy, it was the Unlocking Charm, for sure. However, his tongue always seemed to tangle around the syllables. Kibum kept going over and over it last night with him, helping it with him with the pronunciation. Minho licked his lips. “A-lo-ho-mora,” he said, and held himself back from doing a tiny victory dance when the lock clicked and popped open. 

As he stepped up behind the pineapple, Minho grimaced. He already knew what he had to -- make the pineapple dance across the table. The thing is...he only saw Flitwick perform this once in class. And, even now, he was completely blanking on what the actual spell was. T...something. Tarantula? No, but he was close. Tara -- 

_Tap-tap_. 

Minho looked over at Flitwick, who pointed to the hourglass. His time was up. He didn’t complete the exam. He failed. Tears sprung to his eyes as he lowered his wand, and he gritted his teeth to keep them from falling. He should have been quicker, he should have known the material better. If only he weren’t so st -- 

“Good job, Mr. Choi. I’m impressed.” Wait, what? Minho sniffed and turned to Flitwick without meeting his eyes. “Don’t worry about not getting _Tarantallegra_. Only one student has been able to get it so far.” 

“Really?”

“Yes. You did well, you should be proud.” With a simple wave of his wand, the test reset, and Minho’s eyes widened at the casual display of magic. When he looked back at Flitwick, he was smiling up at Minho. “Now, you can stay for the duration of the class if you wish, but you are also allowed to leave right now.” 

Minho mentally calculated what time it should be. Would Kibum be done with the potion by now? Possibly. If not, he could wait for him to finish. “Thank you, Professor,” Minho said, bowing to Flitwick before he bolted out of the Charms classroom. 

He dodged the students milling about as he ran through the halls and cursed the moving staircases as they kept him from reaching the basement. He was on his fifth redirection when he spotted Kibum running up the stairs from the first floor. “Bummie!” 

Kibum froze mid-step and looked over at him, his cheeks dimpling as he smiled. Minho sighed and glanced around, his gaze falling on the wall of paintings behind him. He pointed to it and Kibum nodded, both making their way up and off of the moving staircases. 

“How’d you do?” They both asked at the same time. “You go,” Minho said when Kibum laughed. 

“I did okay. Added an extra berry but Slughorn said it was fine. What about you?” 

Minho shrugged and Kibum smacked his arm. “Ow, hey...” 

“Sorry. Did you pass?” 

“I don’t know. I missed one, but Flitwick said he was proud of me, so...” 

“That’s great! I missed one, too.” 

Minho brightened, looking up at Kibum. “Which one?” 

“Ta...Tarantallegra. It’s so hard to reme -- what the...” Kibum’s voice trailed off as the large painting of a rather robust woman swung open and hit his shoulder gently. Minho walked around him and they peered inside. He squinted at the assault of the color red lining every wall. “So, this is what Gryffindor Tower looks like.” 

“It -- ” Minho lowered his voice as a couple of Gryffindors walked inside, giving them somewhat confused glares. “ -- It’s a bit much.” 

“Agreed.” Kibum let the painting swing shut once another Gryffindor was safely inside. “What’s next for you?” 

“Defense Against the Dark Arts. But, I have some time to get there.” 

“Yeah, Herbology doesn’t start for another hour. Come on,” Kibum said, grabbing Minho’s arm and leading him away from the moving staircases. “Let’s go study in the library while we wait.”

* * * * * * * * * *

The mild summer morning turned cold and dreary in the middle of lunch. Kibum looked up when rain started to fall. Great. Perfect, even. Of course, it would start raining before he had to take his Flying exam. It could have been a cloudless summer’s day with no wind and he would still have been terrified to get up on that broomstick. Kibum shivered and pulled his robe tightly around himself. 

At least, Minho would be with him. 

He peeked around Aaron to catch a glimpse of Minho across the Hall, only to find him eating happily. Kibum sighed with a small smile. He wished he was hungry now, but he was glad that Minho was able to eat again. He glared at his full plate of food when his stomach churned. Hopefully, he’d be hungry by dinner. 

When he looked back across the Hall, Minho was nowhere to be seen. Kibum sat up a little straighter, searching the Hufflepuff table and then around the Hall. Where...Kibum stood and frowned, glancing down at Callum when he called his name. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Kibum shrugged and glanced over at the door to find Minho waving him over. He cocked his head, and Minho waved harder. “Nothing. I’m fine.” Once he stepped over the bench, he hurried over to Minho in the doorway. 

“Follow me,” Minho said, nodding over to the staircase to the basement. They stepped off to the side to let a couple of the other Hufflepuff girls pass. Minho leaned around Kibum to watch them leave before he dug his hands into his pocket and produced two wrapped soft caramels. 

“What.” 

“They’re from Madam Pomfrey. Chamomile Caramels.” Kibum took one out of Minho’s hand and sniffed it as he unwrapped it. “I know you’re nervous about Flying and she said that the help with exam -- “ his forehead scrunched in concentration “ -- jitters, so...” 

Smiling, Kibum popped it into his mouth. His eyebrows rose and he hummed as he chewed. There was a hint of honey in the caramel, and it reminded Kibum of the many cups of tea Grandma had fixed him over the years. He sighed as the tension in his chest started to loosen. 

Minho stuffed the other caramel into his robe pocket. “I’ll save the other one for when we get out to the Quidditch pitch.” He froze when he met Kibum’s gaze, his eyes widening. “Did you not like it?” 

“No, it was good.” Minho grinned and relaxed. “Thanks.” 

“Yeah, it was, uh, no problem.” He glanced around Kibum to the door. “You wanna go?” 

Dread settled in the pit of Kibum’s stomach. “Sure.” 

Minho led the way out of the stairwell and he followed the crowd through the corridor. They almost lost each other in the crowd but Kibum latched onto Minho’s robe sleeve. He let Minho guide them through the hall and out into the lawn. 

Rain battered them as they ran to the safety of the Quidditch pitch. Kibum pulled his robe over his head to keep himself as dry as possible and helped Minho up when he slipped on the slick grass. Once they were under the safety of the stands, everyone huddled together to stay warm as they waited for Madam Hooch. 

“Are...” Kibum cleared his throat and Minho scooted a little closer. “Are you nervous for this, too?” 

“A little. I wasn’t expecting it to rain.” Kibum’s teeth chattered and he peered around Minho at the other first years. “It’ll be okay. Do you want to go before me or after me?” 

“Uh...” 

Any response died on the tip of his tongue as the ominous clicks of Madam Hooch’s heels echoed in the hallway. All the first years hurried to stand and trailed after her as she walked to the other end of the hall. “Jeffers, Brent, Russell...get the ponchos out of the gear closet. There should be enough for everyone.” Marcus, Damian, and Nick broke free of the group and ran down the hall, their shoes squeaking on the tiles. “Vitton and Reed, get the hoops from the Ravenclaw locker room. Everyone else, follow me.” 

Hooch waved her hand and the doors swung open to let them onto the empty Quidditch pitch. Kibum stayed pressed to Minho’s side as they followed her onto the pitch. She clicked her fingers, and the walls rolled up to reveal the cupboards where they kept Cleansweep Sixteens. Kibum let out a huff of a sigh, and Minho grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly. 

“Once you get a poncho, grab a broom -- thank you Vitton,” she said as Marshall handed her the practice hoops. “Once you have your broom, join me on the pitch.” 

With that, she stepped over the chalk line on the grass and everyone hurried back over to the entrance of the hall where Damian and Marcus were passing out the clear ponchos. Minho let go of Kibum’s hand once they reached the front of the line. Damian passed them both a poncho and Kibum slipped his on as they went over to get their brooms. 

“How do I look?” Kibum asked, arranging the crinkled hood around his face. 

Minho snorted and grabbed two brooms, passing one to him. “Like you’re wearing a poncho.” 

Kibum smacked his arm and spritzed his face with the rain on Minho’s poncho. He sputtered and Minho laughed, almost losing his grip on his broom. Kibum sniffed a laugh and turned away, heading to the pitch by himself. Wet footsteps chased him until Minho caught up with him, his amusement still evident as he let out the occasional chuckle. 

The practice rings hung over the students, the raindrops creating a tinny, syncopated melody overhead. Kibum looked up at them, squeezing his eyes shut when several raindrops fell in them. Minho snickered off to his right, and Kibum elbowed him. He nudged back, but then caught Kibum when he almost fell into Tracy. 

“Sorry,” they both mouthed to her before Hooch blew her whistle, garnering everyone’s attention. 

“All right.” Her voice rang out across the empty pitch. “I know this is unfortunate weather to take your practical flying final in, but...you can’t expect perfect weather everytime you fly.” Kibum took a deep breath and Minho glanced over at him, opening his hand for Kibum to take. 

He did. 

“So, I will be timing you all as you fly the course I have plotted out,” she gestured over her head at the rings. Kibum’s eyes followed all the way up to the highest goal post. He whimpered quietly, and Minho squeezed his hand. Once you reach the top, turn right around and come back through the course. Your time will stop and your exam will be over and you can return to the castle.” 

Minho turned to him, whispering, “When do you want to go?” Kibum shrugged. He wondered if Minho could feel his hand shaking. “As soon as possible to get it over with?” 

“I guess.”

“Do you want me to go before you or after?” 

Madam Hooch brought her stopwatch out of her robes. “Any takers for the first go?”

Kibum looked over at Minho, meeting his wide eyes. “After, I think.” Would he feel better after seeing Minho go through the through the course? Possibly. It was worth a shot, at least. Minho released his hand and dug into his pocket, passing Kibum the other Chamomile Caramel. 

“I’ll go, Madam Hooch,” Minho said, waving his hand over the heads of the others. The second Minho stepped away from him, Kibum unwrapped the caramel and popped it in his mouth, opting to suck on it this time rather than chewing it. Minho ducked out of his sight once he reached Hooch -- probably setting his broomstick on the ground. Kibum stood up on his tiptoes to see him over the others. “Up!” Minho said, a little smile appearing when his broom came to him. 

“Ready?” Hooch asked him, and Minho nodded. She blew her whistle, and he was off. 

His hood was blown back the second he started flying, and Kibum hugged his broom as he watched. Minho whizzed through the hoops, his body hunched closer to the broom the higher into the course he flew. Once he reached the goal post, he paused, wiping the rain off his face. Kibum was going to count how long it was taking him, but he forgot to do so the second Minho took off. 

If he were being honest, Kibum didn’t care if he was the slowest time in the history of Flying exams. As long as he passed and survived this...ordeal...he would consider it to be a success.

Also, he would never ride a broomstick again, unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Minho was grinning by the time he reached the end of the course, his hair slicked back by the wind and the rain. He found Kibum in the crowd, giving him a quick thumbs up and nodding him over. Kibum swallowed the rest of the caramel as he made his way through the group, dragging his broom through the grass behind him. 

“You did good,” Hooch said to Minho as she made some notes in her notebook. “Your posture was a little too tense, but otherwise, good. You’ll relax with time.” 

“Thank you, Madam Hooch.” 

“You can go back now.” She looked over Minho’s head at Kibum. “Are you next?” Her tone seemed surprised, and at any other time, Kibum would have laughed. 

“Yes, Madam Hooch.” His stomach lurched as he set his broomstick on the ground. Kibum pulled his hood further over his head, the crinkling of the poncho loud in his ears. 

“Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Kim.” 

Kibum scoffed internally. Like he would ever be ready. He turned, getting a glimpse of Minho, who was standing a few steps behind Hooch. Kibum let out a long sigh and glared at his broom. “Up!” He winced as it smacked against his hand, and he tightened his grip on it. Reluctantly, he mounted his broom. He thought he might not hear the whistle due to his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and he almost didn’t. 

It was faint, but there. Kibum groaned and pushed off from the ground. 

His flight was wobbly and uncertain -- what else was new -- and he tightened his grip on the rain-slick broom handle. When he flew into one of the rings, he realized he had had his eyes closed since he left the ground. Slowly, he pried open his eyes. “Don’t look down, Kibum. Don’t loo -- shit.” 

He looked down. 

Kibum sat there, frozen, staring at the ground far beyond his broomstick. So high...he was up so, _so_ high. Through the whipping wind and pattering rain, he heard a distant “You can do it, Kibum!” Minho? He wiped the rain from out of his eyes with a shaking hand, and steeled his resolve with a deep breath. He could do this...he could. 

Clenching his jaw, he pressed on, his heartbeat doing a rapid staccato in his ears by the time he reached the goal post. Kibum turned around, his eyes squeezing shut again. “You’re okay, you’re okay. You’re halfway done.” His broom shook as he crept through the course and slowly, but surely, returned to the ground. 

Never in his life had he been so grateful for the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet. Kibum sighed heavily and leaned on his broomstick as he made his way over to Hooch. His gaze flicked to Minho for a second, and he gave him a tiny nod, which seemed to make Minho relax. 

“You did all right, Mr. Kim. I know how nervous you are about flying. You should be proud.” 

Kibum gulped, glancing at the waiting students. “Did I pass?” 

Hooch raised an eyebrow as she read over her notes. “I’m not really allowed to say, yet, but...” she gave him the slightest nod. Kibum was thankful that he was leaning on his broom or else he might have collapsed in his relief. “You can return to the castle now, Mr. Kim. Who’s next?” she asked once Kibum walked past her. 

Once he reached Minho, he rubbed Kibum’s back until they reached the broom cupboards. He kept telling Kibum how proud he was of him, but all Kibum heard was the vaguely fuzzy sounds of Minho’s voice and the ringing in his ears. His body was numb yet tingling at the same time. Minho took his broom and put it in its place, holding his arm when Kibum swayed. 

“ -- um...Kibum...” 

“Hmm?” 

“Are you all right?” 

Kibum wiped the rain off his face and blinked. “I, uh, I think I need to, uh...” He swayed again, this time he reached out to Minho to steady himself. 

“I think you need to sit down.” Minho hooked Kibum’s arm over his shoulders. “Lean on me.” He guided Kibum through the hallway and out the other side, changing course and taking him to the nearest stairwell tower that lead to the stands. Once Kibum was sitting, Minho slipped out of his poncho and helped Kibum out of his. “How are you feeling?” 

How _was_ he feeling? Kibum thought for a moment, his eyes drooping closed. “Tired.” Minho nodded and started rubbing some warmth into Kibum’s arms. It was then that Kibum noticed that he was shivering. “Relieved too, I think.” 

“I bet.”

“You did r-really good,” Kibum said, his teeth chattering. 

“So did you.” 

He scoffed. “I will never get on a broomstick again for as long as I live.” Minho laughed, resting his forehead on Kibum’s shoulder. “I’m serious. I swear it on my life!” 

“I believe you.” 

“Good.” 

At least ten other first years returned to the castle and both Minho and Kibum followed their progress across the lawn. It wasn’t long until the rain lessened to a drizzle, and Minho gathered their ponchos. “I’m gonna go return these, are you ready to go back?” Kibum nodded as Minho stood. “Okay, I’ll be back in a minute.” 

True to his word, he was back in less than a minute, and he was slightly breathless. Minho helped him up, grinning at him when he could stand on his own. 

“What do you think about getting some hot cocoa once we get back inside?” 

Kibum clicked his tongue and started walking, Minho stepping up beside him. “I’m not gonna lie, I think that’s your best idea yet.” 

Minho laughed heartily, all open-mouthed and crinkled eyes, and Kibum looked over at him, smiling himself.

* * * * * * * * * *

A light rapping on the door hushed the chatter of the Hufflepuff first years. Minho and the others looked to Seb, who finished rolling a pair of his socks. He tossed them into his trunk and opened the door. 

“How’s packing coming?” Rhys asked, glancing around the practically bare room. 

“Good,” Seb said, and Travis reiterated. Minho and the others nodded mutely. For his part, Minho was preoccupied with the ivory envelopes that Rhys patted against his palm. Rhys cleared his throat. 

“That’s good. I have your report cards,” he said, holding the envelopes up. “Don’t forget to show these to your parents when you get home tomorrow. Sebastian, here.” Seb grabbed his report card and went over to his bed. “Eli. Travis. Marvin. Minho.” He got up from the floor and took the envelope, bowing slightly before he went back to his place by his duffle bag. “And Gilbert, here. Okay, dinner starts in fifteen minutes. Don’t be late.” 

With that, Rhys closed the door behind him. 

“‘Kay, Muuum,” Travis said, rolling his eyes. “I hope Tanner is Head Boy next year.” 

“You’re just saying that because he’s your brother.” 

Minho snorted and looked down at the bright yellow wax seal on the back of the envelope. Was it even possible that he passed any of his classes? There was only one way to find out. With a deep breath, Minho popped open the wax seal and unfolded the parchment.

> _**Choi Minho** \-- 1st year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry -- has succeeded in getting these grades for his classes this 2003-2004 term. _
> 
> __
> 
> **Astronomy** \-- Exceeds Expectations 
> 
> __
> 
> **Charms** \-- Exceeds Expectations
> 
>  __
> 
>  **Defense Against the Dark Arts** \-- Acceptable
> 
>  __
> 
>  **Flying** \-- Exceeds Expectations 
> 
> __
> 
> **Herbology** \-- Exceeds Expectations
> 
>  __
> 
>  **History of Magic** \-- Acceptable 
> 
> __
> 
> **Potions** \-- Acceptable
> 
>  __
> 
>  _ **Transfiguration** \-- Acceptable_

 “I...I passed?”

“Way to go, buddy!” Gilbert said, grinning at him from his bed. “So did I!” 

Minho grinned at him as he returned his report card to the envelope and sat up. He couldn’t believe he had made it through this first year on top. Sure, he hadn’t gotten any Outstandings, but he was still happy. It...it meant that he could come back next year, that he could be a wizard. A warm sort of hopefulness bloomed in his chest as he tossed his report card into his duffle bag. 

“Save me a seat at dinner!” he said before he closed the door behind him. 

He parted the mess of vines that covered the entrance to the common room from the dorm rooms with the back of his hand, and hopped down to the hardwood floor. Sunlight gilded the beige brick walls and cinnamon wood floors, making the common room almost glow. Minho took off running across the room, gliding through the sunbeams on his socked feet. He stopped sliding before he hit the outside walls and hunkered down to put on his shoes. 

Once he clambered through the tunnel and the barrel was closed behind him, Minho darted down the hall toward Slytherin. When he turned the corner, he ran directly into Analecia, but caught her before she toppled over. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear with a shy smile. “I’m fine.” 

Minho sighed in relief and let go of her arms. “Have you seen Kibum?” 

“Uh, yeah.” She pointed over her shoulder to the hallway, where the faint green light from the entrance was disappearing as the bricks returned to their places. “He was just in the common room. Want me to go get him?” 

He peered around her at the dark, damp corridor. “If you don’t mind.” She nodded and hurried back toward the Slytherin entrance, letting herself inside. 

Minho squinted as he looked back on the Hufflepuff side of the basement. The torchlight seemed so much brighter and the hallway far more inviting than the Slytherin side. As he looked back to Slytherin, the torchlight was an almost sickly green. He shivered as the bricks shifted to reveal the greenish light from the common room. A pair of silhouettes was cast across the stone floor, and Minho took a step into the shadows. One of the dark figures started running toward him, and once they were closer to him, he saw that it was Kibum.

“So?” he asked, slightly panting. “How’d you do?” 

“Passed!” He grunted when Kibum pulled him into a tight hug. “Passed all of them. You?”

Kibum nodded against his shoulder and patted Minho’s back before he let him go. “I got one Outstanding, which surprised me, but the rest of them are Exceeds Expectations and Acceptables.” 

“Oh?” Minho started for the stairwell and Kibum followed him. “What’d you get the Outstanding in?”

“Flying.” 

Minho’s brow furrowed and he looked over at Kibum, who was struggling to keep a straight face. They both burst out laughing and collapsed into each other. Kibum kept trying to answer Minho’s question, but every time he did, they both just started giggling again. Everyone who walked past them on the stairs stepped around them with either a groan or a grin. 

Eventually, they made it to the top of the stairwell and to the Great Hall. Minho pushed Kibum away from him in the doorway. “I’ll see you after!” Kibum called out to him as they walked to their tables on opposite sides of the Great Hall. 

“How’d Kibum do?” Gilbert asked once Minho took his seat. 

“Good! He passed, too.”

Travis was about to say something, but Headmaster McGonagall stepped up to the podium, quieting the room. 

“Yet another year has come and gone, quite successfully, too, I think. To the first years, I hope that Hogwarts has been a home away from home for you and that you learned something new. To the seventh years, I trust that you are ready to join the wizarding community and make a positive difference in our world. To everyone in between, I hope your heads are a little fuller than the year before, and I look forward to seeing you in the halls next year.” 

Somewhere in the middle of her speech, Travis had taken his envelope out of his pocket and ripped it into strips. When he folded it into a triangle, he captured Minho and Marvin’s attention. They watched as he held it upright with his finger and poised his other hand to flick it. Both Marvin and Minho formed a goalpost with their hands, but Marvin was quicker, so Travis flicked it toward him. He aimed too high and hit Marvin square in the chest. 

All six of them giggled, trying to muffle it behind their hands. But, Rhys, who sat several seats down, clicked his fingers and fixed them all with a stern look. They sobered quickly -- aside from the occasional giggle that shook their shoulders. 

“As for the House Cup, the points stand as follows: In fourth place, Gryffindor with 326; in third, Hufflepuff with 377; in second,” she paused, when excited chatter erupted at both the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables. McGonagall tapped her wand on the podium, and the Great Hall fell silent. “In second; Slytherin -- “ The entire Ravenclaw table rose to their feet, cheering loudly and hugging each other. McGonagall placed the tip of her wand against her throat, magnifying her voice over the din. “ -- with 401; and Ravenclaw in first, with 419 points.” 

There was a small smile adorning the Headmaster’s usually stoic expression as she waved her hand. The large House banners lining the walls billowed as they changed from red and gold, green and silver, and yellow and black to all blue and bronze. Colorful sparks rained down from the stars, most likely caused by Professor Flitwick, who was dancing happily on the professor’s table. 

“Now then, let’s eat!” McGonagall waved her arms out wide and the end-of-term feast appeared before them all. 

Minho piled his food high, not caring if the different dishes touched like Kibum seemed to sometimes. When he was dishing up his second helping, he stood up halfway to see if Kibum was eating well, too. He hadn’t really eaten much in the past few days, since he had been stressed about the exams. To his relief, it looked like he was.

It was a merry feast, everyone recounting stories from the past year. Marvin kept trying to retell the time that he had accidentally let a bird into their room, but he kept laughing too hard and ended up spitting mashed potatoes all over Travis. Before Travis could retaliate, Rhys stopped him with a firm “Hey!” 

Once the food was cleared and the Head Students gathered their housemates, they started filing out of the Great Hall. Minho hung to the back of the Hufflepuff crowd, lingering at the corner between the houses while he waited for Slytherin. He perked up when there was a stampede of footsteps coming down the stairwell. Charlie smiled pleasantly at Minho as he led the Slytherins down the hallway, and Minho stood on his tiptoes to try to find Kibum. 

“Min-hooo!” He grinned when Kibum broke free of the group and ran over to him. 

“Congratulations on second.” 

“Oh, yeah, that was all me.” Minho snorted and pushed Kibum, who grinned cheekily. “Thanks, though. See you in the morning?” 

“Yeah, we’ll sit together on the way back home.” 

“Okay. Oh, hey...” he lowered his voice and stepped closer to Minho. “Were you able to write your parents?” Minho huffed and nodded. He wrote to them for the first time in months to let them know that he would be coming home tomorrow. He could only hope that they got his letter since he couldn’t be sure. “Don’t worry,” Kibum said, patting Minho’s shoulder. “Grandma said she’d take you to them if they don’t show up.” 

Minho sighed, feeling somewhat relieved. “Okay.” 

A voice called out from Kibum’s side of the hall, and they both looked toward the sound. “I gotta go. Good night, Choi.” 

“Night, Bummie,” he said, watching Kibum run down the hall of the green light of the common room. Kibum waved before he stepped inside, and Minho raised his voice. “See you in the morning!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minho, to Kibum: Lean on me...
> 
> My brain: [lean_on_me.mp3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEXQkrllGbA)


	10. Return to King's Cross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buildings of brick, cement, and metal blocked their view of the cloud-laden sky. Rain soon pittered against the glass, mottling the green of the leaves lining the railway. The seating compartment darkened as the train ducked into a tunnel. Minho’s breath hitched and he reached for Kibum in the dark, his hand finding Kibum's knee and gripping it tightly. There was a brief flash of red light, and they when emerged, the train slowed as it pulled into Platform 9 ¾.

Heather-covered crags and lush green moors zipped past the windows of the Hogwarts Express. Minho’s breath fogged up the window as he stared outside. Kibum was chatting with Callum and Aaron while Minho tried to count how many deer he could see in the countryside on their way back to London.

So far, he had seen five. 

The window pane was like ice against his forehead. With yet another sigh, Minho's breath blocked his view of the Scottish countryside. He thought he might have seen another deer, or perhaps it was just another rock. Honestly, he couldn’t be sure. Whatever…might as well count it. 

He made a low noise in response when he thought Kibum said his name. 

He would see his parents today. Whether at the station or at home when Grandma dropped him off, he would see them. 

Why did he feel so…conflicted? 

Anxious – that was what he felt the most. Happiness at being reunited with his family, confusion about why they hadn't written to him once, and anger at…well, maybe not anger. Minho couldn’t place that, quite yet. All his emotions were mingling to form a sort of frustrated anxiety in the pit of his stomach. 

“Ugh.” Minho knocked his forehead against the window, jolting back when he felt someone’s hand on his arm. 

Oh, it was only Kibum. “Are you okay?” 

Minho blinked and looked about the cabin. It was empty except for them and Minho’s backpack. “Where’d they go?” 

“Everyone in Fredrick’s cabin was playing a game, but they needed two more, so – “ 

“Oh. Okay.” He turned back to the window but paused when Kibum’s hand tightened around his arm. A second later, Kibum released his hold, drawing his hand back to his lap. “What?” 

“Sit with me.” 

Minho sniffed a laugh. “I am sitting with you.” 

“I mean _beside_ me. Come on, Choi.” 

When Minho didn’t budge, Kibum grabbed his arm and pulled him over to his side of the compartment. Minho groaned when he hit the bench, his knee digging into Kibum’s thigh. Neither moved. Instead, Minho rested his head on the cushioned top of the bench and stared out the window from his new position. He could see his forehead print on the window pane. 

“I get it, you know?” Minho glanced over to find Kibum watching him. “What do you mean?” “I get nervous when I’m gonna see my mom. I haven’t seen her since…” his voice trailed off, and he calculated the time by counting with his fingers. “Wow, it’s been a year.” Minho nodded. Kibum mentioned that toward the beginning of the year when he first mentioned his parent’s not responding to his letters. She was a photographer for National Geographic and had been on assignment in Africa since June. 

“I know, I do get to talk to her, but like, it’s not very often.” Minho nodded again. Kibum had only gotten one letter from his mother all year. “I don’t even know when she’ll be home.” He squinted, searching Minho’s face. “Promise not to tell anyone?” Minho raised his eyebrows, waiting for Kibum to finish his thought. “She…she’s been gone for so long, she sorta feels like a stranger when she comes home.” 

Minho sat up, folding his hands in his lap. “I’m sorry about that, Bummie.” 

He sniffed, shrugging. “Don’t be, I’m fine. I’ve got Grandma. I’m just saying…” he reached out, placing his hand over Minho’s, “it’s okay to be nervous about seeing your parents again.” 

“Yeah. I guess.” 

A comfortable silence settled over them, and Minho relaxed when Kibum squeezed his hand before he leaned back against the wall. He stretched his legs out across the bench and Minho shifted to make room for Kibum. “Anyways,” he said, his face scrunching up in a yawn. “What are your plans for the summer?” 

“I don’t really know. I’ll probably play football with Minseok a lot. Or, maybe Dad will let us hang out with him while he works with his team.” 

“That’ll be fun.” 

“What about you?” 

Kibum’s eyes brightened. “Grandma said in her last letter that Jonghyun’s mom is getting him and his sister for the summer vacation, so I’m excited.” 

“What do you guys usually do?” 

Kibum grinned as he talked about his and Jonghyun’s adventures, of playing with his dog and annoying his older sister on a daily basis. He launched into a story of how he and Jonghyun were going to attack Sodam with water balloons – “Don’t worry, she’s a witch, too so she would have been able to fix any damage.” The ending of the story was cut short when Minho looked out the window to find that they had reached London. 

Buildings of brick, cement, and metal blocked their view of the cloud-laden sky. Rain soon pittered against the glass, mottling the green of the leaves lining the railway. The seating compartment darkened as the train ducked into a tunnel. Minho’s breath hitched and he reached for Kibum in the dark, his hand finding Kibum's knee and gripping it tightly. There was a brief flash of red light, and they when emerged, the train slowed as it pulled into Platform 9 ¾. 

They hurried to gather their things, which didn’t take too long, then sat back as the Hogwarts Express chugged up to the platform. Many people milled about, looking up from their conversations as the train came to a stop. 

“Do you have a phone?” Minho asked, reaching for his backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. 

“Uh, I think Grandma does. But, I don’t know how to use it. We can write, though. Here,” he reached into his pockets, pulling out one of their polaroids, and started writing on the back. “This is my address.” Kibum passed the polaroid, address-side up, to Minho.

> _Kim Kibum, First Bedroom on the Left, 42 Juliette Blvd, Nottingham, United Kingdom._

 “Why do they get so specific for the address?” 

“I’m not sure.” 

“Hmm.” Minho flipped over the picture, laughing when he saw which one it was. “I almost forgot about this.” 

In the polaroid, they were in their study closet. Kibum was trying to sneak a picture of them being diligent in their studies to show Grandma. But, what he got was a picture of Minho stealing the last pumpkin pastie out of Grandma’s care package. The scene restarted when Kibum realized what Minho was doing -- his fist poised to punch as Minho covered his laugh behind his hand.

The bridge of Kibum’s nose wrinkled as he sniffed disdainfully. “You still owe me one.” 

Minho grinned and flipped the polaroid over to read Kibum’s address again. “I’ll make it up to you.” 

“Yeah, well, you’d better.” Heavy footfall and excited voices sounded in the hallway as their fellow students stampeded to the doors. Kibum left his seat to peer down the hall, waving Minho over when the line started to ebb. “Ready? I think I just saw Grandma!” 

Minho’s eyebrows raised as he scanned the crowd of students meeting their families. He spotted an elderly woman standing alone amidst the bustle, her hands gripping a brown bag as she watched the train. “Let’s go.” Minho pushed the sliding door open and let Kibum out of the compartment, following him out onto the platform. 

He peeked around Kibum at Grandma as they approached her. The wrinkles around her eyes deepened as she smiled the moment she saw Kibum. He ran ahead of Minho, his arms open to hug Grandma before he reached her. She laughed and stroked the back of his head when Minho heard the muffled sound of Kibum’s voice. 

“I missed you, too, darling.” Her voice was just as warm and kind as Minho had imagined. She kissed the top of Kibum’s head before she looked over at Minho. He smiled nervously. “You must be Minho.” 

Minho bowed slightly. “Yes, Ma’am.” 

“Please. Call me Grandma.” She held out her hand to Minho as Kibum stepped out of her embrace, pulling him into a hug of his own. Did she smell like freshly baked cookies or was Minho just imagining things? The bag in her hand crinkled as she patted his back before she dropped her arms. “Did you two eat on the train?” 

The gurgle in Minho’s stomach betrayed him. “Nope,” Kibum said, reaching for the bag and digging through it. He passed Minho a snickerdoodle before shoving a whole one in his mouth.”Lthsghh icthppor lugath.” 

Kibum turned and walked down the platform, and Minho went to follow him. “What did he say?” Grandma asked, laughing. 

“‘Let’s go pick up our luggage,’ I think.” Minho chased after Kibum, the contents of his backpack clunking together as he ran. “She’s really nice,” he said, taking a bite of his cookie before Kibum handed him Geum-nan’s cage. 

“Well, yeah. Did you think she wouldn’t be? Hold Meg.” Minho fit the rest of his snickerdoodle into his mouth before Kibum passed him Nutmeg’s cage as well. The two owls hooted at each other, and Nutmeg started preening. Kibum grabbed his trunk, dragging it over to where Minho stood. “Where’s your trunk?” 

“Dfflfthag.” 

“What?” 

Minho finished chewing, wincing as he swallowed. “The duffle bag.” He nodded to the other pile of luggage where his duffle bag was waiting. Geum-nan trilled softly at him when tapped her cage. Kibum was back with Minho’s duffle bag quickly, and they exchanged Meg in his cage for the duffle. With great effort, they lugged their baggage back to where Grandma stood. 

“Is that everything?” 

“Yup!” 

Minho looked around, pointing to the brick wall where a group of people ran through. Several empty carts stood on either side of the…exit. “Should I go get a cart?” 

Kibum looked around, pressing his finger to his lips when Grandma whispered, “There’s no need.” 

She cast a furtive look about the platform before she slipped her purse off her shoulder, opened it, and placed it over one of the corners of Meg’s cage. A second later, the cage was swished up into the purse, Nutmeg and all. Minho gasped and Kibum was quick to shush him, glancing back at the passersby. Grandma picked up Kibum’s trunk and Minho’s things as well before she slipped the strap over her shoulder. 

She held out her hands for both of them to take, and Kibum scoffed, blushing as his gaze darted to Minho for a second. “We’re twelve, Grandma. We don’t need to hold your hands.” 

Sighing, Grandma smiled. “Suit yourself.” 

Minho stuck to Kibum’s side as they made their way through the crowd and to the brick wall. On the other side lay the Muggle world. Where his parents were. Maybe. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he followed Grandma and Kibum through the brick wall, and blinked at sudden assault of people crowding around the entrance of Platform 9 ¾. 

Out of instinct, it appeared, Kibum reached for Grandma’s hand. That seemed like a good idea to Minho, so he went around to her other side and held her outstretched hand. “Are your parents here somewhere?” She asked, giving Minho’s hand a tiny squeeze. 

“I’m not sure.” 

“Well,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “If they’re not, I’ll get you to them.” Minho bit his lip and looked out at the mass of people, sniffing. “Don’t worry, dear. You’ll see them tonight.”

“Okay.” 

They walked through the station, searching the crowd for his father or mother or even Minseok. After about ten minutes of wandering, Minho started getting discouraged. After twenty minutes, Grandma guided them to the side door of Dulcis Creamery. The ice cream shop was empty, and one of the workers was wiping off the tables. 

Minho’s vision warped for a second, and when he focused again he saw that the ice cream parlor had been filled with witches and wizards the whole time. He spotted Gilbert with his family, enjoying his ice cream. Minho waved but Gilbert didn’t see him, distracted instead by something his little sister said. 

Kibum pressed his nose against the glass dome covering the tubs of ice cream. “Get whatever you want," Grandma said. "Two scoops each.” 

“Really?” She nodded at Minho when he looked up hopefully. He hummed to himself as he inspected every tub of delicious-looking ice cream. "What do I want..." 

Kibum tapped the glass over the shimmery white ice cream. “Two scoops of rainbow sherbert, please.” Once it was scooped, the shimmery white changed to an array of colors, and, Minho assumed, flavors. The worker passed Kibum his cone over the glass, and Kibum stepped up on his tiptoes to reach it. 

“And, for you?” 

“Uh…” Minho squinted at the selection. “Bummie, what should I get?” 

“Cookie dough is really good. Ooo,” he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “So is the chocolate frog ripple.” 

“Can I get one of each?” 

Kibum nodded, asking the attendant for Minho’s ice cream. By the time Minho had his cone, Grandma had paid for their ice creams and a cup of tea for herself. Once they were sitting, she took a sip. “So, how are you two enjoying Hufflepuff?” 

Minho froze mid-lick on his chocolate frog ripple scoop, his eyes darting to Kibum, who tensed up. She still thought that Kibum had been sorted Hufflepuff and he had yet to correct her assumption. He wanted to wait until the right moment, he kept saying. Minho promised to keep this secret until Kibum was ready. And, he would. He let out a deep breath and relaxed, swallowing the bite of his cone. 

“It’s good. We love it.” Before she could ask another question about Hufflepuff, Kibum’s voice raised to a slightly higher pitch. “Is Jonghyun at his mom’s yet?” 

“Not yet. Should be next week. Beauxbaton’s lets out a week later than Hogwarts, apparently.” 

Minho breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Kibum continued to distract her with questions about their neighbors. 

He licked some chocolate ice cream off his lips before he started the nibble around the edge of his cone. Kibum prattled on, his voice almost drowned out by the sounds around the terminal. He leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing every passersby for a glimpse of either of his parents. His hopes continued to be crushed with every passing moment until he popped the tip of the cone into his mouth, crunching it slowly. The crowd parted just so, and through the people, Minho spotted his mom. 

She was alone, but she was there. 

The metal legs of his chair screeched against the marble tile floor as he shot away from the table and into the crowd toward his mom. Minho called out to her, tears streaming down his face by the time he reached her. He hugged her as tightly as he could, and she stroked his head gently. 

“Why are you crying, Min?” 

Minho sniffed, turning his head to the side. “I-I…” he hiccuped and scrunched his face up to stop himself from crying any more. “I missed you so much.” 

“We missed you, too.” She patted his back before she pulled him out of her embrace. “I’m sorry your father couldn’t be here. He and Minseok are training with the team right now.” 

His brow furrowed. “Minseok is training with United?” 

She laughed briefly, shaking her head. “He’s just with your father. They should be home once we get back.” She looked around, frowning. “Where are your things?” 

“Oh, right.” He glanced back over to the ice cream shop to find Kibum and Grandma watching them. “I’ll be right back.” Weaving his way through the crowd, Minho ran back over to them. “Sorry about that,” he said, sniffing. 

Kibum rubbed his arm and Grandma rummaged through her purse for Minho’s luggage. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” he sniffed again, “I’m fine.” There was a heavy thunk followed by a piercing squawk, and Minho glanced down at his duffle and a rather disoriented-looking Geum-nan. He picked both up, gulping as he looked between them. “Thank you. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later.” 

Kibum got out of his seat and trapped Minho in a tight hug that he couldn’t return with his hands full. He huffed and smiled, leaning his head against Kibum’s. “You’ll write this summer, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good. See you later, Choi.” He patted Minho’s back before he let him go back to his mom. 

He was so glad that Kibum gave him his address. Writing letters was better than no contact. Minho looked up at his mom, who was offering him a small smile as he approached. Why had they not written back? Not even once? Kibum's mom had written him from Africa, why couldn't they send him just one letter in return? He deserved to know. 

Right? 

Mom started to speak, but Minho cut her off, blurting out “Why didn’t you write me back?” before he could stop himself. 

She blinked, her jaw tightening for a second. “We tried, but our letters kept getting sent back in the mail.” 

“Oh.” So, they hadn’t forgotten about him. A fresh wave of tears started to prick his red-rimmed eyes, but he held them at bay, his throat tightening in the strain. 

“If you want, you can explain it to me on the way home.” 

“O-okay.” Minho wiped his eyes before turning back around. Kibum and Grandma were still watching them. He waved goodbye, and Minho returned it before they walked down the terminal and away from Minho. 

"Let's go, Min," she said, taking his duffle bag out of his hand. Minho reached for her hand as she started to walk away, but she moved it to support his heavy duffle. He wrapped his arms around Geum-nan's cage instead, being careful not to jostle her as he hurried to catch up to Mom. “Who was that?” 

“Him?” She nodded, and Minho couldn’t help but smile. “That’s Kibum. He’s my best friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I’m sure you all saw that I mentioned Jonghyun (again...Kibum talked about him in the second chapter). This is my official announcement/warning(?) that Jonghyun will appear in the next chapter. He, out of the other three members, will show up most often in this AU (the other two live in Korea, so it’s a little harder for them to appear naturally, ya feel? lol but I have it all planned out and they will show up, no worries) but will not be a permanent presence in every chapter. I just figured I should give you all a heads-up...


	11. Diagonally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A warm summer breeze swept through the North Side, rustling the leaves of the bushes and jingling the chimes and baubles hanging outside the shops in Diagon Alley. Grandma had taken Kibum to get his books for the new school year and replenish her supply of powdered moonstone and porcupine quills. Jonghyun decided to tag along, just for fun.
> 
> And, to meet Minho. Probably.

“How much longer do you think she’s gonna be?” 

Kibum looked up from the hot fudge sundae as he took another spoonful, smirking when Jonghyun dropped his head on his crossed arms. “Who knows. Mrs. Fortescue and her go way back,” he said around his mouthful of ice cream. He tapped the sundae dish across the table, Jonghyun sitting up at the sound. “Hurry, before I finish the rest.”

Jonghyun took up his spoon and closed his eyes with a smile. “’Kay.” 

A warm summer breeze swept through the North Side, rustling the leaves of the bushes and jingling the chimes and baubles hanging outside the shops in Diagon Alley. Grandma had taken Kibum to get his books for the new school year and replenish her supply of powdered moonstone and porcupine quills. Jonghyun decided to tag along, just for fun. 

And, to meet Minho. Probably.

When the supply list came, Kibum mailed Minho immediately to ask when he was planning on going to pick up his stuff. Kibum told him in the letter that he would be here next week and that he should ask his mom if they could come then, too. In the letter Minho sent back, he said that he would try. 

The bell above the door at Flourish and Blotts jingled, and Kibum sat up in his seat, attempting to look over the shoppers that were crowding the street. Whoever it was, they were lost in the crowd now. Kibum leaned back, huffing.

“Still don’t see him?” Jonghyun asked without looking up as he scraped the hot fudge from the bottom of the sundae dish. 

“No.” 

“That sucks.” 

“Are you watching for him, too?” 

“Ki, I’ve seen, like, five pictures of the kid,” he wiped his mouth clean of the hot fudge and rubbed his hands on his jeans. “I’m probably not the best person to help you look.”

Kibum frowned and looked across the table at Jonghyun, whose eyes twinkled in amusement. “I thought I showed you all the pictures?”

“Like three times. I was kidding.” 

Rolling his eyes, Kibum went back to watching the people, hoping to catch even a glimpse of Minho. “Well, excuse me for wanting my best friends to meet.”

Jonghyun grinned cheekily. “You’re excused.” Kibum sucked his teeth and raised his fist, going to hit Jonghyun’s arm until he shied away with a bright laugh. “Isn’t that him?” He scooted away from the table when Kibum leaned across, doubling his effort to hit him. “No, I’m being serious this time! Look!”

His gaze followed where Jonghyun pointed, and Kibum half-stood to see the back of Minho’s head as he went inside Flourish and Blotts. If he hadn’t known that it was him just by the back of his head, he would have recognized the backpack. 

Kibum shot out of his seat and tried to hurry through the crowded street. The bell tinkled as he swung open the door and he searched the store for him. There he was, at the back of the store with his mom, and he was reaching for a book on the fourth shelf. Probably _Practical Theory of Defense_. 

He knew he was grinning like an idiot, but Kibum couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

“Min-hooo!” 

Everyone in the shop turned and stared at him, and Minho whipped around, his eyes wide and a bright smile blooming. He slipped off his backpack and dropped it on the floor by his mom before he ran to meet Kibum. They met in the middle, colliding in a tight hug. “I missed you so much, Bummie.”

“Missed you, too.” 

Minho gave him a tight squeeze before he slipped out of Kibum’s arms. “Come with me,” he said, grabbing Kibum’s hand and leading him back over to his mom. “Mom…Mom!” She looked down at him and glanced over at Kibum, who bowed in greeting. “This is Kim Kibum,” he said, a smile evident in his voice as he pulled Kibum closer to his side. “My best friend.” 

His face heated slightly, and Kibum peeked over at Minho for a second before looking back up at his mom.

She gave him a small smile. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Kibum. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Choi.” 

Minho started to speak again, stopping when Mrs. Choi said, “We need to buy these books. We still need to go grocery shopping, remember?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He took _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ and _Practical Theory of Defense_ from his mom when she passed them to him. Kibum followed them to the register. “So, are you excited about this year?” he asked once he placed the books on the counter. 

“Of course! Has your dad said yes to Quidditch yet or…” Minho shushed him and Kibum looked up to find Mrs. Choi looking down at them. The bell jingled behind them, and Kibum glanced behind to see Jonghyun ducking inside.

“That’s Jjong,” he whispered as he tugged on Minho’s arm, nodding back to Jonghyun.

“Hey, Mom, can we wait for you outside?” 

She placed five Galleons down on the counter. “I won’t be too much longer.” When she glanced down at Minho and his wide, pleading eyes, she softened. “Go ahead.”

They darted for the door and Jonghyun opened it for them before they all tumbled outside. Now that it was just the three of them...Kibum fidgeted and glanced between his two best friends, who inspected each other curiously. Minho was the first to smile, and Jonghyun was quick to follow his lead.

Kibum let out a sigh of relief, his words coming out all at once, “Minho, this is Jjong. No, Jonghyun, Jjong…ugh.” His whole face scrunched up in frustration when Jonghyun started to laugh.

“Minho, you can call me Jjong, if you want.” Minho stuck out his hand for Jonghyun to shake in greeting and blinked in surprise when Jonghyun pulled him into a hug. “We’re friends now. Deal with it.” Once he freed Minho from his embrace, Jonghyun grabbed his arm and started walking with him down the lane away from Kibum. “Okay so, what is the most embarrassing thing Kibum did last year?” 

“Hey!” Kibum sputtered, jogging to catch up to them and pulling them apart. 

“Don’t tell him anything,” he said, smacking Minho’s arm. 

Jonghyun went up on his tiptoes, looking over Kibum’s head at Minho. “We’ll talk later,” he whispered, winking conspiratorially when Minho grinned and nodded. 

Kibum shoved Minho away and he stumbled a little, both Kibum and Jonghyun moving to catch him in case he fell. He caught himself on the display window of Broomstix, and froze as he stared inside. His finger traced the stick end of a black-handled broom. It had silver trimming and details, and it looked a lot like the broom Madam Hooch used during class. A Silver Arrow, if Kibum remembered right. In class, she had described it as one of the wizarding world’s superior Quidditch brooms.

His eyebrows raised when he spotted the price tag. _Ģ200_. It would take years of saving for Minho to be able to afford that. Minho sighed as he backed away from the window and shoved his hands in his pockets as he went back toward Kibum and Jonghyun.

“He still hasn’t said yes, has he.” Minho shook his head. Jonghyun tapped Kibum’s elbow, a silent question in his furrowed brow. “Later,” Kibum mouthed, and Jonghyun nodded. “You’ve still got a couple more weeks.” 

Minho huffed and looked like he was about to say something, but stopped when his mom called him back to the entrance of Flourish and Blotts. “Kibum? Jjong?” They both looked across the street to where Grandma stood, looking around.

“Over here, Grandma!” Jonghyun said, waving her over. 

Minho’s mom reached them just before Grandma crossed the street, and she put her arm around Minho’s shoulder and started pulling him away. “Let’s go, Minho. We need to head home.” 

He ignored his mom for the moment as Grandma joined the group. “Hi, Grandma!” Minho said, beaming at her as she stepped up behind Kibum and Jonghyun. Kibum looked up at her when she fixed a couple strands of his hair.

“Hello, dear. Have you been enjoying your summer?” Minho nodded. “You must be Mrs. Choi,” she said, directing her attention to Minho’s mom. Kibum froze, his eyes unblinking. In his peripheral vision, he saw Jonghyun turn to look up at Grandma, his mouth slightly gaping. 

In his twelve years of existence, he had _never_ heard her take that tone. With anyone. 

Ever. 

“Yes, I am.” Minho’s mom smiled cordially. “I’m sorry, I only know you as Grandma. I’ve heard so much about you. Minho tells me about the treats you sent him all the time.” 

“Yes. Well, it’s the least I could do.” Kibum’s eyebrows raised and he glanced over at Jonghyun. “Well, I’m sure you have other places to be.”

“I – “ her hand tightened on Minho’s shoulder. “We do, actually. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs…” 

“Park.” 

“Mrs. Park.” She tucked the bag from Flourish and Blotts under her arm and patted Minho’s shoulder before she dropped her hand. “Minho, say goodbye to your friends now.” 

“Uh,” Minho turned around to watch her start back toward The Leaky Cauldron. “I guess I gotta go.” He took a step away from them, glancing over at his mom again. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

“Bye!” Kibum called out to him as he jogged away, waving when he reached his mom again. Grandma patted Kibum and Jonghyun’s backs to start them walking down the lane toward the Apothecary. “What was that all about, Grandma?”

“Hmm?” 

“Yeah.” Jonghyun looked over his shoulder to where Minho and his mom were disappearing behind the wall of the Leaky Cauldron. “What did she do?” 

She sighed with a slight smile as she pushed open the door for the Apothecary. “Don’t worry about it, my darlings. I’ll be just a minute,” she said as she stepped inside. 

Kibum sat on the window sill with a huff, staring down the street at the Leaky Cauldron. “Well,” Kibum hummed when Jonghyun paused, looking up at him. “You were right about one thing.”

“What’s that?” 

“Minho is pretty cute.” 

“Wh-what?” Kibum sputtered, his entire face coloring to the tips of his ears. “I never said he was cute?” 

Jonghyun smirked as he sat beside Kibum on the sill. “You definitely implied it.”

“I…I didn’t.” He rolled his eyes when Jonghyun snorted. “Whatever.”

Kibum let out a heavy sigh when Jonghyun laughed out loud.

* * * * * * * * * *

The paper bag holding his Hogwarts textbooks crinkled as Minho’s hands fidgeted around the rolled edge. He stopped when he felt his mother look over at him and hugged the bag to his stomach. “So,” she said, glancing at the other passengers before she lowered her voice. “You’re still interested in...Quidditch?”

Minho lowered his eyes to his lap and let out a tiny sigh.

“You...you haven’t mentioned for a few weeks. I thought that you might have lost interest in it.” 

“No,” he said quietly. “I haven’t.” 

“Ah.” 

The train came to a stop, and Minho looked up. Several of the people in their car grabbed their things and left. They were soon replaced by new passengers, who hurried to settle before the train started moving again. Soon, they were out of the station and on their way to Manchester. 

“Do...” Minho looked up at her. “Do you still talk to Kibum about it?” His brow furrowed and he shrugged. “Minho...” 

The bag crumpled as he tightened his grip. “Yes.”

“I see.” 

She changed the subject, talking instead about something that happened while he was away. Something Minseok did during a football game, maybe. Minho didn’t know; he wasn’t listening. It wasn’t until they were back home and Minho was helping her put away their groceries that she brought it up again.

“If you really want to play this...Quidditch -- “ Minho almost dropped the carton of eggs onto the floor, but caught it before it fell. “ -- then you should talk to your father about it again.” 

Minho nibbled on his bottom lip as he closed the refrigerator door. He would give almost anything to not have this conversation again. It never ended even remotely well. Was it even worth it? Before he could answer the question, the front door opened and Minseok shouted his greeting as he jogged up the stairs.

“Finish putting away the groceries, dear,” Mom said as she went to the door to greet his father. 

They passed through the kitchen and into the living room by the time Minho finished putting the last of the groceries away. Minseok came bounding in and turned the faucet on, leaning over the sink to get a drink. “How was practice?”

Minseok wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Really fun! Mr. Neville gave me some tips on passing today. What about....diagonally?”

“Diagon Alley?” 

“Yeah! Did you bring back any more frogs?” 

Minho’s eyes widened and he glanced to the living room, where their parents were still talking. Last year, a couple days before he left for school, Minho returned to Diagon Alley with his mom to pick up the pewter cauldron they had forgotten on their last visit. On that trip, she had allowed him to pick one treat to bring home, and he got a dark chocolate frog to share with Minseok. Once they got home, Minho showed Minseok the frog and they played with it. 

Soon, however, they got distracted with Minseok asked him if he had seen any magic happening. Once Minho got started describing the shops, the frog sat forgotten. On the carpeted floor. In the warm beam of summer sunlight streaming through the window.

After about an hour of panicked scrubbing, they got most of the chocolate out of the carpet. There was still quite the stain, though. With some carefully-placed clutter, Minseok was able to hide it the whole time Minho was at Hogwarts. 

“No.” Minho giggled when Minseok huffed. “Maybe next time.” 

Minseok was about to respond when their mother called from the living room, “Minho, come here for a minute.”

They both moved into the living room, and their father shook his head. “Just Minho right now.”

“You can come help me with dinner, dear,” Mom said, patting Minseok’s back as she guided him out of the room, leaving Minho and his father completely alone.

“Sit, Minho,” Dad said a moment after Mom left Minho standing in the threshold of the living room. 

He nodded and took a seat on the far end of the couch, his hands wringing in his lap. The room was quiet, too quiet for Minho’s liking. He watched the sky change from blue told gold and peach as the sun started to set. The familiar smells of bibim-naengmyeon being prepared and the muffled chatter of Mom and Minseok in the kitchen made the silence just _that_ much more deafening. 

Soon, the silence got to be too much for Minho to stand. “What did you want to tal -- “ 

“Your mother said that you’re still interested in that sport.” 

“Quidditch.” Dad waved his hand, a dismissive gesture. “Yes, I am.” 

“Explain it to me again, please.” 

“Uh...” 

He rambled for a moment, both his volume and speed increasing as he went on. He described the pitch and the goalposts and the different balls. Dad nodded as he went on, even smiling when Minho stood to demonstrate one of the more impressive plays he remembered -- complete with sound effects. 

He chuckled when Minho sat back down and held up his hand before Minho could continue with his description. “You really enjoy watching that, don’t you?” Minho nodded as he searched his dad’s expression for any sort of approval. “It does sound like a fun game. Complicated, but fun.”

“Do...do you think I can do it?” His breath hitched as Dad inclined his head. 

“No.” Minho’s heart sank and he sat back, crossing his arms over his stomach. “Well, I guess I’m not sure.” 

“Why not?” he wanted to ask, but he held his tongue. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he did his best to blink them away before Dad noticed. 

“This...Quidditch sounds somewhat like football, and I know how,” he paused, squinting, “well you play that. I’ve been watching your brother and you play football since you two could walk. I’ve even coached you as much as I could.”

Minho’s throat tightened and burned as he swallowed and he turned his attention to the floor. 

“I don't need to get into it, you already know. We’ve discussed it many times before, but even when you were younger, you were not quite as fast or as skilled as Minseok was. Remember, that’s why I said no when you asked if you could play little league football.” 

“I...I remember,” he mumbled. 

“I’m just looking out for you, Minho. I don’t want you to embarrass yourself.” Minho nodded, sniffing. “So, I’m going to say no, for now. Maybe someday, but right now, no. All right?” 

Minho let out a stuttered breath. “Okay.” 

“Okay.” Dad looked past him to the dining room. “It sounds like dinner is almost ready, so why don’t you go get the table set.” 

“Yes, sir.” He stood when his father reached for the remote and turned the TV on. Minho trudged into the kitchen, sighing. Minseok helped him reach the bowls, handing him two and following him with the other two. Once they were out of earshot from Mom, Minseok asked him what Dad was talking to him about. Minho shrugged, the bowls clinking against the tabletop. “Nothing.”

Minseok hummed in thought. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” 

They set the table, putting out the side dishes as soon as Mom got them plated, arranging them how they liked them. He put the little bowl of sukju namul closest to his spot at the table and the bowl of oi muchim by Minseok’s spot. Once dinner was ready, everyone took their seats and started to eat. The awkward silence was punctuated by the scraping of chopsticks against porcelain, and it was broken by Minseok mentioning something that happened at practice earlier that day. 

Dinner went by quickly, their parents retiring to the living room while Minseok cleared the table and Minho started to do dishes. He played in the suds while he waited for Minseok to come back with the washcloth, smearing the iridescent bubbles across his cheeks and jawline in a bushy beard.

“Head’s up!” Minho turned, catching the washcloth Minseok tossed from the dining room. “I’ll be in the shower.”

“‘Kay.” He started scrubbing out the blender, staring absently out the window above the sink. 

Dusk had fallen, the bright blue of day transposing into the twinkling dark blue of night. Purple clouds with their glowing pink underbellies streaked across the sky. A shadow fluttered on the horizon, drawing Minho’s attention. He dumped the excess water out of the bowl before he set it to dry, watching the shadow as it drew near enough for him to recognize what it was.

An owl. 

Had Kibum sent him a letter? Minho’s mood lifted ever so slightly.

He dried his hands off on his shirt and slid the window open for the owl to perch there. Nutmeg, Kibum’s tawny owl, landed with a ruffling of feathers and a trill in greeting. He wiped his hands off again before he patted Nutmeg’s soft head.

“Hello, Nutmeg.” He shook his talon at Minho and he leaned forward to kiss the top of his head as he took Kibum’s letter out of Nutmeg’s claws. “You can go, Meg. Thank you.” 

Minho tucked the letter into his back pocket and hurried to finish the dishes, wiping the counters down when he was through. He said a quick goodnight to his parents before he darted upstairs to his room. He changed into his pajamas and grabbed the letter out of his pocket before he flopped down on his bed.

He got settled under the covers before he opened it. 

_Hey!_ Kibum started, and Minho smiled. His usually neat penmanship was scribbled across the parchment, interrupted sometimes by someone else’s handwriting and splotches of ink. _I wish we would’ve been able to spend more time together today_ **Me too! (this is Jjong by the way)**

There was a smear of ink -- Minho assumed there had been some sort of struggle over the quill, and he laughed -- and Kibum continued.

 _I’ve really missed you this summer, which I know is probably stupid to say because we’ve only been apart for like a month but still._ Minho set the letter down on his chest as he reached under his pillow for the polaroid that Kibum gave him. He stared blankly at the scene as it played through again and again, smiling faintly whenever Kibum started to laugh. He was sort of...relieved to hear that Kibum missed him, too. 

He dropped the polaroid, the scene moving in the corner of his eye as he picked up the letter again. _September can’t come soon enough!_ **I actually leave for France a week before you guys head back** _No one asked you, Jjong. Anyways, I wish we would have been able to talk more. I’m sorry your dad hasn’t said yes yet. Do you think he will? I hope he does._ **Minho, I know we’re barely acquainted but I think if you want to play Quidditch you should go for it** ) Tears started to well up in his eyes again, their message blurring until he wiped them away.

 **Kibum has been telling me all summer how good you are at flying and honestly, that’s the best part o --** _Oh my god, shut up. I agree with him, though, Choi. If you really want to, you should try out for it. I’ll come to every game and cheer for you!_ Kibum or Jonghyun had started to write something, but it was scribbled out. _Okay so I’ll see you at King’s Cross soon. Bye for now, ^^_

Minho folded the letter up, sniffing. It was nice of them to write to him today. And Jonghyun seemed really nice too. Not that he was too surprised -- if he was a friend of Kibum’s he’d have to be, right? He put the parchment back in the envelope and slipped it under his pillow before he picked up the polaroid again.

“Hey,” He looked up to see Minseok standing in his doorway and pulling his tank top on and pushing back his damp hair. “You gonna shower?” 

“Nah, I’ll do it in the morning.” 

Minseok moved his hand over the light switch. “Still want this on?” He shook his head and Minseok flipped the light, yawning his goodnight as he shuffled away to his bedroom and leaving Minho alone in the dark.

Moonlight streamed through the window, silver beams gleaming on the posters on the walls. He kept ahold the polaroid as he tucked his hand under his pillow. Sighing, he turned his head and nestled it comfortably on his pillow as he looked up at faintly glowing stars on his ceiling.

He missed Hogwarts.

If he were being honest, he missed it more than he thought he would. He’d be back soon, with Kibum and his dormmates, and he was excited about that. “Three more weeks,” he whispered to the stars with a smile. 

Three more weeks and he’d be back with Kibum again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, Jjong and Minseok were fun to write. I hope you enjoyed them, too ^^


	12. Taking Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho and Marvin were standing together on the pitch, and Minho helped Marvin tie the straps of his glove. Their long yellow robes billowed in the breeze, showing the black underside when the wind tossed the robe tails this way and that. It didn’t take long for Minho to notice him, and when he did he shielded his eyes with one hand and waved with the other.
> 
> Smiling, Kibum returned the wave.

The flapping of the owls’ wings was louder than Minho remembered. It echoed across the Great Hall and was greeted by the muffled, yet excited, sounds of students from every table. Minho, however, paid the owls no mind. Instead, he yawned around the rim of his pumpkin juice, frowning when a little of the warmly spiced juice dribbled down his chin. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and yawned again as he spread strawberry jam over his toast.

A flutter of wings and charcoal feathers landed before him. He glanced across the table to see what Travis got from his parents. The charcoal owl let out a faint hoot and Minho blinked when he recognized the sound.

Geum-nan?

Sure enough, there she sat, staring expectantly at Minho with her wide, golden eyes. He sat frozen, waiting for her to move. Was…was she just an apparition? “Dude…” Minho bit off a piece of his toast and leaned a little closer to Gilbert. “Is that your owl?”

He blinked and Geum-nan blinked in reply before she flapped her wings. “I…I think so.” He dropped his toast on his plate and wiped his fingers off on his sweater before he patted her head. “Thank you, Geum-nan,” he told her in quiet Korean before she flew away, leaving a letter behind.

“Who’s it from?” Travis asked around his mouth full of food.

Minho picked up the letter and flipped it over to find his mom’s familiar penmanship. “My parents.” A smile stretched across his face as he stood abruptly and looked across the hall to the Slytherin table. “Save me a spot in class, okay?”

“Sure thing!”

Seemingly half of the student body was finished with their breakfast and already on their way to their next class. Minho dodged and weaved through them all as he hurried to Kibum’s table. Once there, Minho plopped down beside him, slightly breathless from his efforts.

“Morning!” Kibum said, smirking when Minho leaned back against the edge of the table. “Tired already?”

“Shut up. No.” He waved the unopened letter between them, sighing heavily as he caught his breath. “It's from my parents.”

The fork in Kibum’s hand clattered against his plate as he turned to inspect the letter for himself. “Why haven’t you opened it yet?”

“I don’t know. Wanted to show you first, I guess.”

Kibum let out an amused huff and smacked his arm lightly. “Well, open it, Choi.”

Slowly, Minho tore open the letter. After a full school year of no contact whatsoever, he found himself hesitant to see what they would have to say. His breath hitched as he slipped the letter out of the envelope. Would they wish him good luck for the upcoming school year? Did his dad find more things to say about Quidditch? Kibum pressed his shoulder against Minho’s, leaning in to read the letter as Minho opened it.

> _Minho,_
> 
> _Your father and I have given it some more thought, and we have decided that you can try out for Quidditch. If you get accepted then that’s good. If you don’t, then you have your answer on the subject. Since you know more about the game, please use your best judgment as you consider trying out._
> 
> _We trust that you had a safe trip to school. Hopefully, you’ll have another successful year. Be sure to keep up on your studies, and don’t waste too much time on Quidditch. School is more important than sports._
> 
> _Make sure to write us when you can, and we will do the same._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Mom and Dad_ **and Minseok ^^**

 “I can’t believe it...”

Kibum scoffed quietly as he leaned away, turning back to his plate. “Me neither.”

Grinning, Minho turned to him. “I can try out! I...they...I wasn’t expecting this.” Kibum nodded, pushing a chunk of scrambled egg around in the syrup on his plate. “Will you come with me? To the tryouts, I mean.” He blinked and set his fork down. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just...I -- “

“Of course.”

“ -- really, oh...” His voice trailed off as he glanced over at Kibum and found him smiling. “Thanks.”

“Do you know when the tryout starts?”

Minho shrugged as he slipped his parents’ letter back into the envelope. “Tanner mentioned something about it this morning, but I wasn’t listening. I’ll find out.”

Kibum’s laugh was cut short by the bell. The remaining students in the Hall scrambled to finish their breakfast before they left for their first class. After one last bite of toast, Kibum shoved his plate away and followed Minho back over to the Hufflepuff table. “What’s your first class?”

“Transfiguration.” He was about to ask which was Kibum’s first class, but based on the way his expression lit up, he had his answer. The bell rang a second time and Minho snatched his backpack. He hooked one strap over his shoulder before he pushed Kibum ahead of him as he started to run. “We’ve got to hurry. You know how Crowell feels about students being late.”

“Shit, you’re right.” Kibum darted out ahead of him, but Minho caught up to him by the door when he stopped. His hands squeezed his sides as he stooped over slightly.

“Already out of breath?”

“Shut up, I’m not athletic like you.” He took a deep breath, chuckling a little as he let it out. “Which classroom this time?” Minho fished his schedule out of his robe pocket and handed it to Kibum. “Thank Merlin, it’s Class 1.”

They stepped into the mass of students congregating outside of the Great Hall and meandered their way through the crowd. It dissipated as they made their way down the corridor to Class 1 and Kibum stopped at the open door, gesturing for Minho to enter first.

"Why, thank you," Minho said, bowing.

Kibum laughed and pushed him into the classroom, following him to one of the empty desks.

* * * * * * * * * *

“How much time do we have until dinner?”

Kibum leaned against the wall and shook his head. “Dunno. You wanna work on homework together?”

Minho hummed. “I guess.”

“I mean, we could always start after dinner, but -- “

“Minho!” Kibum stopped and peered over Minho’s shoulder as he turned to see who called him. It was only Marvin. “Aren’t you gonna try out?”

“Yeah...when does it start?”

“Right now!” Marvin nodded toward the door, prompting Minho and Kibum to follow him. “Remember? Tanner said he drew the short straw this morning.”

“Oh, right.” Martin took the steps two at a time, while Minho hung back with Kibum. “You’re sure you want to come with me? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know you probably have other -- “

“Hey,” Kibum said with a laugh. “Don’t worry about it. If I wanted to be doing something else, I would be. I -- “ want to hang out with you, his brain supplied. He was cut off when Marvin popped back into view at the doorway of the stairwell.

“Come on, we don’t want to be late!”

Minho turned to Kibum, his expression sort of pained. Clearly, he was torn between walking with Kibum and hurrying to the pitch. Smiling, Kibum patted his back. “Go on, I’ll be down there soon.” With a single nod, Minho followed Marvin, their heavy footfalls echoing in the corridor as they ran.

A cool summer breeze rustled through the heather adorning the lawn. The sun shone behind puffy clouds, lining the edges in gold. Petrichor still perfumed the air from the morning rain. Kibum side-stepped several mud puddles as he made his way to the Quidditch pitch.

Marvin and Minho were already in the Hufflepuff hallway below the stands -- probably getting changed into their gear -- and Kibum started up the steps to his and Minho’s favorite spot in the bleachers.

Minho and Marvin were standing together on the pitch, and Minho helped Marvin tie the straps of his glove. Their long yellow robes billowed in the breeze, showing the black underside when the wind tossed the robe tails this way and that. It didn’t take long for Minho to notice him, and when he did he shielded his eyes with one hand and waved with the other.

Smiling, Kibum returned the wave.

His attention shifted then to the captain. He must have said something? Kibum couldn’t hear a word that was being said. Soon, the older students ran to their places on the pitch, dropping the brooms mid-air before mounting them. Minho, Marvin, and several of the others huddled around the captain. He gave them an instruction, and they ran out of Kibum’s view.

Kibum huffed, leaning forward in his seat before he slipped out of it entirely and stepped down the bleachers to stand at the banister. When he looked down, he spotted Minho and the others mounting their brooms as well.

A second later, they took off.

The flock of hopeful Quidditch players peaked over the stands by the time they reached the goal posts. They turned, following the curve of the pitch along the far side of the stadium. Kibum leaned over the edge, watching them fly around the goal posts on the other side. His eyes widened and he took a couple of steps back as they zoomed past him.

The turbulence of their flight buffeted him, and he smiled when he heard Minho’s shouted: “Hello, Bummie!”

Kibum waved, but it was too late because Minho was taking another turn around the pitch. And then another, and another. Five laps they took, while the experienced players kept busy in the middle, keeping the Quaffle aloft between them by using their head, hands, or feet. Minho and the others joined them once they finished their laps.

He stepped back up to the banister and saw the captain walking across the lawn, dragging a trunk behind him. Kibum’s curious gaze darted between Minho and the trunk and paused on the trunk when the captain crouched to open it. He motioned for the others to come closer and he passed off the bats to the Beaters.

Minho and the other hopefuls hovered close to the captain as he held something up between them -- the Golden Snitch, probably. Kibum’s brow furrowed. Minho must be upset. He had been talking about being a Chaser since he started to consider playing Quidditch himself.

Well, hopefully, he wouldn’t be too disappointed. Becoming a Seeker might be fun, too, after all.

His grip tightened around the banister as they took to the air again, and he held his breath as the captain caught the Quaffle. “Here we go,” he muttered, searching for Minho in the flock of fluttering yellow robes. There he was, the highest in the sky. “Good luck, Minho...”

The Quaffle was thrown, and the game began.

All at once, the players became a flurry of yellow, and Kibum struggled to focus on the actual play, so he directed his attention back to Minho. He sat still atop his broom, occasionally glancing around the pitch before he turned his focus back to the play.

Kibum couldn’t make out Minho’s expression, but he had watched enough Quidditch games to know what it must be like. He started to smile, but it faltered when he caught a glimmer of gold in his peripheral vision. The Snitch! Once he had turned to look at it, the Snitch had vanished completely. Kibum sighed and slumped against the banister.

Wait...did Minho’s entrance to the team depend on him catching the Snitch?

“Oh god...”

He found Minho again, just as he was dodging a Bludger. Kibum clutched his sweater and let out a sigh when he successfully evaded it. The play moved away from him, and he turned to follow it before he...Wait...did he see the Snitch? He must have because he leaned forward, guiding his broom to the opposite goal posts. The other hopefuls caught on and started after him.

Kibum cupped his hands around his mouth. “Go, Minho! Go!”

Minho zipped into a dive, the tails of his robes whipping behind him as he chased the Snitch. He stretched his arm out ahead of him as he followed it around the pitch. Kibum leaned over the banister again as he flew below the stands.

The shimmering Snitch was just out of his reach, and he edged forward. Kibum’s entire body tensed as the Snitch slipped out of his grasp, darting behind Minho and up into the air again. Minho followed it, flying right in front Kibum. The wind from Minho's flight and the other hopefuls on his tail whipped around him, causing him to stagger and fall back onto the front bleacher.

He stretched as far as he could, and Kibum’s fingers twitched as Minho’s hand closed around the Snitch. Kibum jumped out of his seat and let out a loud _whoop!_ Minho immediately turned to him, grinning broadly, and waved the hand with the Snitch at him. He gave Minho two enthusiastic thumbs up before Minho flew away and back to the pitch.

Grinning, Kibum ran to the stairwell and down to the Hufflepuff hallway. He folded his hands behind his back as he waiting for Minho and the others to appear. It took several minutes, but when they did, Minho ran to meet him and pulled him into a suffocating hug.

Kibum patted his back slowly when Minho sniffed. “You made it on the team, right?” Minho nodded into his shoulder, sniffing again. Kibum squeezed him a little tighter. “See? I knew you could do it.” His response was too muffled for Kibum to make out, so he leaned away, smirking. “You’re way too sweaty for us to keep hugging.”

Minho laughed softly, his gaze dropping to the ground between them. “I’ll go get changed.” He started to walk back to the locker room before he turned back to Kibum. “Wait for me?”

“Of course.”

* * * * * * * * * *

The sound of Minho clearing his throat reverberated down the empty hallway. A warm glow emanated from inside their study closet as Kibum lit the candles that they used all last year. Minho clasped his hands behind his back, stepping up on his tiptoes before falling back on his heels.

“Okay, ready,” Kibum said without coming out.

Minho ducked inside and closed the door behind him. He glanced around at their shadows dancing and mingling in the flickered light. “Are you sure you don’t want to study?”

Kibum slumped against the wall and crossed his legs beneath him. “Yeah.” He yawned, stretching his arms out before him. “Besides, we left our stuff downstairs, so...”

“That’s true.”

“I...well, I was thinking that we could hang for a little bit. Just the two of us.”

“It has been a while, huh?”

Kibum nodded. “So, was your summer as fun as you thought it would be?”

“I guess. Minseok and I played a lot of football. And I got to be with Mom a lot, too.” Whenever Dad took Minseok with him to practice, Mom always seemed to have errands to run and she took him with her. Maybe next year he could go with his dad and brother to football practice. “What about you? Did you have fun with Jjong?”

“Oh, tons!” He giggled as he leaned forward and launched into a story. Apparently, when they were de-gnoming Jjong's mother’s garden, one of the gnomes latched onto Jonghyun’s hand and would not let go. Minho understood the story up to the part in the story where Kibum ran for the hose, but after that, he was laughing too hard to continue.

Minho couldn’t help but laugh himself. “He seems really fun.”

“He is.” There was a smile in Kibum’s voice, and Minho glanced over at him. “I wish you had gotten to know him a little better.”

“Maybe this next summer?” Kibum’s eyebrows rose. “Like, what if we...” his voice trailed off as his brow furrowed. He wanted to see if they could spend time together in summer. Compared to the mere fifteen minutes they got to see each other last month, even a day would be more than enough time. But, what if Kibum didn’t want that? He didn’t want him to feel obligated, but --

“What if we...what?”

\-- but what did it hurt? Kibum was his friend...he probably wouldn’t mind, right? “What if we tried to hang out for a week together?”

“Like a week at your house and a week at mine? That sounds awesome!” Kibum shot to his feet, searching the shelves of the closet. He threw his head back with a sigh. “We really cleaned up in here. I’ll write to Grandma about this tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“Sure! Why not! We gotta plan this as soon as possible.” Minho watched Kibum as he returned to his spot on the floor. “I missed you this summer. A lot.”

Minho let out a relieved sigh with a smile. “I really missed you, too.”


	13. Ten Points

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kibum snorted and Minho punched his arm lightly, both composing themselves when Professor Crowell cleared her throat. “Five points will be taken from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Mr. Kim and Mr. Choi? Please see me after class.”
> 
> “Yes, ma’am,” they both said.

“Shh, shh!” Kibum hit Minho’s shoulder as the wrapping of the chocolate frog crinkled in his hands. “Do you want her to he – “ Minho slid his hands into the desk as Professor Crowell walked around the desks, her eyebrow quirking as she passed them. 

Minho offered her his most innocent smile and pulled his wand out of the desk. “What are we supposed to be doing, again?” he whispered through clenched teeth. 

“Turn the bird,” Kibum pointed at the chickadee watching them at the front of their desk, its beady eyes blinking as it cocked its head. “Into a goblet.”

“Huh.” Rustling erupted from the desk again and Kibum glared at Minho. “Don’t worry, I’ll share.”

Kibum clicked his tongue, watching Crowell as she returned to the front of the classroom. “Hurry, at least.”

“Got it!” The rustling stopped and Minho fumbled around in the desk for a second. “Oh…no…”

“Wha – “ Kibum’s question was cut short by the tickling sensation of frog feet hopping too and from his thigh. It landed on the floor and hopped away down the aisle.

“Crap,” they both said, Minho looking up at the professor while Kibum kept his eye on the frog. “What should we do?” Minho whispered as he tugged at Kibum’s sleeve.

“I’ll distract her,” Kibum said after a minute, glancing over at Minho. “It’s over there, behind Analecia.” He gestured furtively four desks over to the Slytherin girl who was glaring at the bird that refused to transfigure. He gave Minho a quick shove and he fell off their bench, crouching behind their desk as Kibum raised his hand. “Professor?”

Minho somersaulted like the spies did in the movies he and Minseok watched with Dad, bumping his head against the leg of the desk behind him. He rubbed the slight bump on his head and glanced up at Chelsea, who was giving him a very amused look. He raised his finger to his lips and she nodded. The click of Crowell’s heels approached and he ducked behind Chelsea’s chair, peering around the other side of her desk to catch a glimpse of the frog.

“What is it, Mr. Kim.” Professor Crowell sounded less than amused, though, not that Minho could blame her.

He crept to the other side of the desk and glanced down the aisle to find that Crowell’s back was turned to him. Perfect. Kibum looked over his shoulder, shaking his head slightly as Minho crawled across the room to Analecia’s desk. The chocolate frog watched him defiantly before it hopped between Analecia’s feet. Minho huffed and reached for it as Analecia crossed her legs, and the frog launched itself down the aisle.

“How can you not understand. It is a simple concept,” Crowel said as Minho scurried after the frog. Several of his fellow students giggled in his wake. “Tap the bird three times, point the wand directly at the bird, and say _Vera Verto_.”

“No, I get that.” The frog bounded to the aisle where Professor Crowell stood and Minho froze, his arm stretched out to grab it. “Don’t you think it’s cruel to the animal, though? What must the bird be thinking?”

Crowell sighed, and so did Minho when the frog hopped a meter closer to her. He crept back and followed it, hiding behind the next disk. “Get over here,” he mouthed, pointing to the ground by his knees. He was fully aware that the frog would not understand him, but this was for his own peace of mind. When he stabbed at the ground again, he watched in despair as the frog hopped once again, this time landing on Professor Crowell’s black robe.

It looked back at Minho, taunting him with its unblinking, chocolate eyes.

“If it makes you feel better, Mr. Kim, I will personally transfigure this bird back to its original state once you’ve performed the spell.”

Minho squinted and lunged forward, grabbing the frog before it could hop away again. Crowell turned and Minho rolled behind Chelsea’s desk and pressed himself against the back of her bench. Several sighs of relief sounded around the room. There was a single clap from Callum at the front of the class, who had been doing absolutely nothing to conceal that he had been watching Minho capture the frog.

“That would make me feel better, yes,” Kibum said, his voiced strained and a little louder than normal.

When Minho heard Crowell walk away, Minho crawled back to his seat, the melting chocolate frog held tightly in his fist. He sidled up next to Kibum before Professor Crowell returned to her desk and showed him the head of the frog peeking out. “Still want to split it?”

“Ew, no. It’s been on the floor.”

“Then what’d I go through all that trouble for?”

Kibum snorted and Minho punched his arm lightly, both composing themselves when Professor Crowell cleared her throat. “Five points will be taken from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Mr. Kim and Mr. Choi? Please see me after class.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they both said.

Minho slumping in his seat, pouting as Crowell turned to help one of the students at the front of the class. “I thought I was being stealthy.” Kibum gave him the most incredulous look before he clapped his hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking with almost silent laughter. “What…”

When Crowell looked out over the class again, Kibum coughed to cover his laugh. He leaned over and whispered, “Okay, but maybe next time don’t hum your own danger music.”

The remaining hour of class dragged by then, and only half of the class were able to turn the bird into the goblet. True to her word, Crowell stopped by their desk after Kibum transfigured the chickadee. She changed it back into its original form with the most sarcastic flick of her wand that Minho thought he would ever see.

When the bell rang, they both stayed in their seats until the other students left the classroom. They watched as Professor Crowell sifted through the many sheets of parchment at her desk, waiting for her to call them up.

“Did I tell you to sit at your desk after class or to come see me?” she asked without looking up. The bench screeched against the floor as Minho and Kibum stood and clambered up to her desk. Minho clasped his hands behind his back as he waited for her to speak again. At length, she set her parchment down and looked up at them.

Minho’s eyes widened slightly when a short giggle from Kibum burst the silence. Kibum’s face flushed a bright pink as he tried to hold back another laugh. “Disrupting the class while I’m lecturing is no laughing matter, Mr. Kim.”

He sniffed in an attempt to compose himself. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You will be given detention in addition to your loss of house points. Mr. Kim, you will be under the charge of Professor Sprout after your classes, and Mr. Choi – “ Minho stood a little straighter at the sound of his name, “ – you will be under the charge of Professor O’Neely after your classes today.” Minho’s face heated to the tips of his ears, and he spared a quick glance to see if Kibum noticed. A short pause and neither boy moved. Crowell closed her eyes and sighed. “You may go – no running in my classroom, please.”

They both slowed to a walk and Minho grabbed his backpack as they walked past their desk. “We’re gonna be late to our next class,” Kibum said under his breath as they hurried – without running – to the door. Once there, they split up, both running in opposite directions.

“See you in History!” Minho yelled over his shoulder, but he was too far away to hear if Kibum responded.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunlight streamed through the ceiling, casting a soft green glow over the many plants covering the greenhouse. Professor Sprout told Kibum after his Herbology lesson that he should come back to Greenhouse 5 after he had changed into clothes that he would not mind getting dirty. At the time, she had seemed amused, which made Kibum relax, if only a little.

Maybe his first detention wouldn’t be so bad? Hopefully, Minho’s wouldn’t be either.

The door closed behind him, rattling the glass all around him. The mandrakes rustled in their clay pots and the Venomous Tentacula stood at attention, their many pods turning to face Kibum. His eyes widened as he stared at them, cowering in the doorway. If Professor Sprout had told them once, she had told them a thousand times to not even think about going near the Tentacula.

“Kibum, is that you?”

His eyes darted from the Tentacula to, well, no one? “Professor?”

“Yes, come downstairs.” His brow furrowed, and he took a step further into the room. There was a downstairs to the greenhouse? He pressed his back against the far wall, flinching when a leaf brushed against his neck. Kibum crept along the wall and stared unblinkingly at the Tentacula as the pods followed his progress across the greenhouse.

Once he reached the other side of the greenhouse, Kibum saw an open trapdoor in the floor. He detached himself from the wall and shook off a stray dried-up vine as he stepped up to the edge. A shadow moved within, and Kibum ducked to peer inside.

Sprout moved past the entrance and pushed back the brim of her mossy green witch’s hat as she looked up at Kibum. “Come on in, Kibum.”

Kibum crawled through the entrance and down the ladder, dropping down onto the hardwood floor. A small smile stretched across his face as he glanced around.

Round, stained glass windows with little blue and yellow flowers adorned the walls, letting in dusty streams of sunlight. Bookshelves were carved into the walls, with various herbs or plants or vines acting as bookends. A plush, mustard-yellow couch sat between two of the bookshelves. Over it was a beautiful display of roots – assumedly from the vines above – twisted and turned to form a picture, though, what it was, Kibum was not sure. He stepped closer to it, and the candles hovering around the couch moved to make way for him.

“Go ahead and take a seat,” came the professor’s voice from one of the tunnels leading off the main room. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Kibum sank back into the couch, picking up and hugging the navy blue cushion. He fiddled with the gold fringe, braiding the strands as he tried to peek further down the tunnels. A warm glow permeated each separate tunnel entrance and low voices emitted from the one closest to him. When they stopped, a shadow passed over the tunnel and Professor Sprout emerged, smiling.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kibum.”

He shrugged and hugged the pillow a little tighter. “It’s okay.” He paused, smirking a little. “This is detention, so…”

Sprout laughed. “That is true.” She dusted off the front of her grass and dirt-stained dress, her eyebrows raising when she looked back at him. “Ready?”

“Yes, Professor.”

She started down the far tunnel, and Kibum tossed the pillow back to the couch before he followed her. There was a round sky-blue door at the end of the tunnel, and Kibum stepped from patch of sunlight to patch of sunlight as he kept on her heels. The door swung open with a flick of her wrist to reveal the gardens along the side of the castle outside the kitchen.

“Usually, during the summer I’m able to keep up with the tending of the gardens for the kitchen. But the mandrakes, “ she shook her head, sighing, “they reached adolescence early and ate up the majority of my time.” She nodded to the overgrown gardens and smiled down at Kibum. “So, that’s what we’re doing today.”

“Okay.”

He hunkered down next to her and pinched at the base of a weed by one of the potato plants, pulling it out. They worked quietly, Sprout humming a tune as they moved through the potatoes and halfway into the peas. Kibum looked up when a chuckle faltered her song. “A chocolate frog,” she mumbled under her breath before she went back to humming.

Kibum bit back a smile and continued to weed.

After about an hour, Kibum wiped away the sweat from his forehead and looked back on their progress. They had only made it through one strip of vegetables and they still had nine to go. Sighing, he pushed back his hair as he stood, stretching. Sprout grimaced as she stood, and she brushed her dirt-caked fingers off on her skirt as they moved to the next patch of vegetables.

“Did….did my grandma ever get in detention?”

Sprout’s brow furrowed as she squinted at him through the tomato plants. “What was her name?”

“Uh, Park, no, Bae Sunhi.”

Her expression instantly brightened. “Sunhi is your grandmother? That makes perfect sense. Ah, she’s a dear friend of mine.”

Kibum grinned and stopped pulling weeds for a moment. “What was she like during school?”

“Oh, she was sweet. My…Rolanda and I befriended her almost instantly. She was very hard-working and a great study partner. I would not have passed Charms had it not been for her.” Sprout sat back on her heels, looking off into the distance, a smile wrinkling her weathered cheeks as her eyes landed on the Whomping Willow. “She and I actually enchanted a knot to calm the Willow.”

“Really?”

Professor Sprout nodded. “It was such a nice place to study or have a picnic if the weather allowed.” Kibum stared at the Willow as it swayed in the warm breeze, blinking and refocusing on her when she turned back around. “You asked about detention.”

His face flushed and he went back to picking at a particularly stubborn dandelion root. “She probably didn’t, huh…”

She chuckled and brushed the pile of weeds off her dress. “Several times. Between you and I, it should have been a couple more times.”

“Seriously?”

As they continued to work, she regaled him with stories about the trouble she and Grandma and even Headmaster McGonagall would get into when they were in school together. She spoke of nights spent raiding the kitchen for snacks and of the day that they started excavating a secret passage between the Hufflepuff and Slytherin houses – their friends Velma and Kathrine were creating one on the other side. They had to leave unfinished when they got caught by the Slytherin Head Girl, at the time.

By the sixth plot of vegetables, Professor Sprout seemed to run out of stories. So, Kibum asked if she had been teaching when Park Kimee and Kim Bumji, his mother and father, had been in school. Most of the stories, he had already heard from his father before he died, but it pleasantly passed the time while they worked. The one about him accidentally turning the water of the prefects’ bath into a violet dye was almost funnier from a teacher’s point of view.

The sun dipped below the tips of the trees of the Forbidden Forest by the time he pulled the last weed. He scrubbed his hands on his pant legs, smearing the dirt into the fabric. “Your detention is finished, now,” Professor Sprout said as she stood. “Go ahead and get washed up before you head to the Great Hall.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, bowing slightly before he started back toward the castle.

All in all, that wasn’t too bad for his first detention. Kibum chuckled as he pushed open the door to the boy’s bathroom on the first floor. Judging by his family history, it probably wouldn’t be his last detention, either.

* * * * * * * * * *

Low voices of the students leaving the library echoed down the corridor, and Minho pulled his robe up when it started to slip off his shoulder. Gulping, he peeked inside the crack of the door of Classroom 104. Was the professor even in there? The door creaked as Minho pushed on it, trying to find Professor O’Neely in the depths of the classroom.

Sunlight streamed through the windows and glinted off the surfaces of the desks. The dragon skeleton curled around the rafters overhead, its mouth hanging open in a silent roar. Instruments ticked and whirred at the front of the classroom, but the sound of chalk on the blackboard distracted him.

Professor O’Neely stood with his back to the door, not turning around as Minho pushed the door open and stepped inside. He pushed the sleeve of his dress shirt over his elbow when it dragged through his freshly-written cursive. Minho fiddled with the hem of his sleeve as he stared at the back of Professor O’Neely’s head. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach when the professor turned around to get a parchment from his discarded robe.

Minho blushed to the roots of his hair when Professor O’Neely looked up at him.

“Oh, hello!” Minho blinked and tried to say hello in return, but O’Neely’s bright Irish accent distracted him. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

“Yeah, um,” his voice cracked, and Minho thought he lost a year of his life in that single moment. “Potions ran a little late.”

“Oh, that’s all right,“ O’Neely said, gesturing for Minho to join him at the front of the classroom. “Do you like tea?” Minho nodded. “Well, come on, I’ll put some on before we get started.”

“What are we doing?” Minho asked as he hurried to follow him up the stairs to his office.

O’Neely looked down at him, a wry grin brightening his blue eyes. “There was a bit of a chizpurfle infestation in here that I didn’t know about until last week.” He sighed and opened the door for Minho to enter first. “I was able to get it taken care of, but now I need to clean and rearrange the bookshelves in my office.”

To say Professor O’Neely’s office was messy would be an understatement. Books were hung out to dry on strings that were strung across the office. Something dripped deep inside the room, and a bundle of gnawed-on wands sat on his desk. O’Neely ducked under one of the strings as he made his way to the stove. He glanced over his shoulder, chuckling when he saw that Minho still stood in the doorway.

“You can come in and relax. Tea won’t take long to make.”

“O…kay.”

Minho sunk into the plush armchair and stared wide-eyed at the back of O’Neely’s head as he busied himself with the kettle. He averted his eyes when the professor turned his head slightly. “How is your year going so far?”

“Good.” O’Neely nodded and Minho let out a deep breath. “I’m really happy that I didn’t forget stuff that I thought I would over the summer like I thought I was gonna forget a lot of the spells but when Professor Flitwick did his review last week I remembered most of mine. Which made me happy.” Oh god, stop talking. “But I said that already.”

Professor O’Neely chuckled. “That’s good. I remember feeling that way when I came back after the summer. I’m Muggle-born, too.”

“Really?”

Smiling, he sat down behind his desk and nodded again. “I know I only have one class with you, but I think you’re doing really well here.” Minho’s face heated and was probably glowing florescent red, but he found himself not caring. “I heard from Professor Sprout that you’re on the Quidditch team?”

He stared blankly at Professor O’Neely, blinking only when he got up to take the kettle off the heat. Did he…did O’Neely actually want to get to know him? Why…why did that make him so nervous? He hemmed and hawed until O’Neely turned around briefly.

“Honey?”

“W-what?”

Professor O’Neely sniffed, seemingly amused. “In your tea?”

If the floor could just swallow him up that would probably be the best thing that ever happened to him. “Uh…” O’Neely turned around to pour the tea and Minho covered his face with his hands for a second to compose himself. “No, thank you,” he said after a moment.

“All right.” He set the steaming mug of tea on the desk in front of Minho and stirred some honey into his own before he returned to his seat. “This shouldn’t take long. The books are still drying out from the potion, but some of the instruments need to be polished and all the surfaces in this room need to be wiped down.” O’Neely took a sip of his tea, squinting as he swallowed it. “We should be done before dinner.”

Minho reached out to take his mug, rotating it in his hands before he set it back down on the desk. “Okay.” Should he answer his question about Quidditch, or had it been too long? He was probably just being polite, but…

“Yes, I am gonna play Quidditch!” Minho said at the same time as Professor O’Neely said, “Let’s get started, then. Oh?” Minho stared at the steam curling off the surface of his tea. “Which position?”

“Seeker, for now.”

O’Neely smiled. “I started out as a Seeker, too.”

“Really?” He nodded as Minho scooted up to the edge of his chair. “I’m really excited for our first game, but I’m nervous too because I don’t think I’ll be very good at it but I know I’m just starting out and, like, I really wanted to be a Chaser but Tanner said that I’m too small right now but maybe later on but I don’t know if I’ll be good enough to keep playing. I hope so because it reminds me of football and I really liked playing football back in Korea – ”

Why was he still talking? The words would not stop coming. Why hadn’t Professor O’Neely stopped him yet?

“ – but it’s really fun and I’m having fun so far and I’m really happy that I got permission to play it even though I probably won’t be – “ O’Neely cleared his throat and Minho’s eyes widened. He reached out for his tea and took a short sip. It was at the perfect temperature to drink now, so he took a long drink.

“I’m sure you’ll do great. Quidditch is really fun to play, once you get the hang of it.” He sat back in his chair, opening one of his drawers and digging through it.

“S-sorry…”

O’Neely looked up from his drawer as he pulled out a rag, his brow furrowing. “For what?”

“Talk-talking so much.”

“Oh,” Professor O’Neely passed him a rag and Minho crumpled it in his fist. “I don’t mind in the slightest. I was just going to say that we should talk while we work. This is detention, after all,” he said with the tiniest wink. Minho’s eyes widened as he stared straight ahead as O’Neely left his chair. Was his face red? Probably redder than the home jerseys of Manchester United. “Which class is your favorite?” O’Neely asked, his voice bringing Minho back to the present.

Minho stood and stooped a little to avoid bumping his head into the dangling books. He made his way over to Professor O’Neely, who was wiping a shelf clean. “Herbology, probably, but I like your class a lot, too!”

“Really?” He sounded like he was smiling, or at least amused, but Minho was focused on wiping a lower shelf free of any of the potion’s residue. “I’m happy to hear that.”

“I saw a bow…bowt – “

“Bowtruckle?”

“ – yes, bowt…truckle last year!”

“Where at?”

“Kibum and I – he’s my best friend – were cutting through the greenhouses to get back inside before it rained, I think, and I saw something moving on one of the apple trees and I thought it might be a praying mantis but then I showed it to Kibum and he was like ‘No, that’s a bowtruckle!’ and so we stared at it for like five minutes until the bell rang. I wanted to poke it with a stick but Kibum smacked it out of my hand before I could.”

O’Neely chuckled. “That’s good.”

“It probably wouldn’t have liked that.”

“Not at all, in fact.” He held out his arm, flipping it so his forearm faced Minho. He pointed to a thin, jagged scar and laughed when Minho’s eyebrows rose. “I got that in my fifth year.” O’Neely turned back to the shelves and dropped the rag on a different shelf. “Me and some of my buddies were sneaking in the Forbidden Forest just because we wanted to see what it was like and happened upon a branch of bowtruckles. They’re vicious little things when they feel threatened.”

“Oh,” Minho said…intelligently.

O’Neely passed him a glass sphere with a gold ring around it. Gray mist billowed inside when Minho touched it. “Go ahead and polish this.” He looked down at the dried droplets of the shimmery pink potion. “What’s your family like?”

As they cleaned, Minho told O’Neely all about his family and his home and his friends back in Korea. Just when he thought he was talking too much and irritating Professor O’Neely, he would ask Minho another question that kept him going. Before he knew it, the last book was placed back on the shelf and O’Neely was taking the rag from Minho’s hand and leading him to the door.

“Dinner probably started already, you can go ahead.”

“Yes, sir,” Minho wiped his hands off on his pants and hurried through the doorway when O’Neely opened it.

“Good luck on your first game, Minho! I’m sure you’ll be fantastic.” Minho stuttered out something that he hoped sounded like _thank you_ and bowed slightly to hide his growing blush. “Now, go on, before your dinner gets cold.”

Minho bowed again before he turned and hurried out of the classroom. Once he was out the door, he ran toward the Great Hall.

* * * * * * * * * *

By the time Minho arrived at dinner, Kibum was almost finished with his. He made his way to his seat and found Kibum across the room. Standing up on his tiptoes, he pointed up, and Kibum nodded before he went back to finishing his dinner. Several other students were on their way back to their dorms and Kibum joined them, hurrying up the stairs to the seventh floor. 

Kibum was breathless by the time he reached it, and he braced himself against the wall as he staggered over to the troll ballerina tapestry. 

Now to wait, though not for long.

Not even ten minutes later, Minho came bounding up the stairs, his breathing heavy by the time he reached Kibum. “Sorry I took so long,” he paused to burp, “but I ate as fast as I could.”

The door started to etch itself in the wall as Minho helped to pull Kibum to his feet. Kibum opened the door and lit a couple of the candles before Minho came in behind him. “So, was your detention too bad?” Kibum asked once they were sitting with their backs against the wall.

Minho ducked his head and fiddled with the hem of his robe. “It-it went...okay?” He cleared his threat. “What about you?”

“It was actually really fun! I learned a lot about my Grandma when she was here.”

“That’s cool!” Kibum sat back as Minho leaned across him to grab Grandma’s latest package. He brought it over to his lap and giggled.

“What?”

He pulled out a chocolate frog and held it up. “Wanna share?”

Kibum snorted. “Sure.”

The packaging crinkled loudly in the closet as Minho ripped it open. He discarded the plastic and passed Kibum the box once he had gotten the frog out. Kibum fished out the card and sighed. It was just Dumbledore. He crumpled it up and tossed it back into the box on Minho’s lap. 

“This is the worst part,” Minho said, cringing as he snapped the frog in half. Shuddering, he held his hands out to Kibum. “Head or butt?” Kibum grabbed the half with the head and bit off its leg. “Next time we should pick something less crinkly to snack on during class.”

“Or maybe just not eat during class.” 

Minho licked a bit of melted chocolate off his thumb. “Or...just not in Crowell’s class.”

Kibum nodded, smirking as he popped the head of the frog into his mouth. “Agreed.”


	14. All That Glitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!"
> 
> Frowning, Minho over at the shared Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands. Kibum, Callum, Aaron, and all of his dormmates were sitting together -- well, more like standing together. They were all standing on the bleachers and blocking everyone behind them. Which was really rude of them.
> 
> Minho grinned, carefully letting go of his broom with one hand long enough to wave at them.

“Kibum.”

Someone grabbed his shoulder and shook it gently. But, in the groggy fog of morning, Kibum couldn’t recognize the voice. They shook him again, and he tried to smack their hand away. “Leave me alone,” he mumbled, tugging his covers over his shoulder and up to his chin. “It’s Saturday.”

“Hey, wake up.” They gave him a final shake before they let him go. “Minho is waiting for you outside in the hall.”

His eyes snapped open and he rubbed the sleep out of them as he sat up. “Is something wrong?” Vincent, the head boy, backed away from Kibum’s bed, gesturing behind him to the ajar door. “Is he all right?”

Vincent nodded. “He said something about practicing?”

“Oh.” Kibum relaxed into his pillow and took a deep breath, willing his heartbeat to go back to normal. “Okay, can you tell him I’ll be right there?”

“Sure.”

Once Vincent closed the door behind him, Kibum leaped out of bed. He crouched beside it, digging around for his non-uniform clothes to change into before he left. Should he bring a jacket? Would it be too cold outside? Eh, he could always borrow one of Minho’s sweatshirts.

It didn’t take him long to change and he grabbed his old tennis shoes as he hurried for the door. Kibum closed it slowly, being careful not wake his dorm mates before he rushed to the common room. He slid to a stop in front of the empty brick wall blocking the exit. Once he knocked in the password, he waited for the bricks to shuffle themselves out of the way.

Minho backed away from the wall the second the bricks started to move -- Kibum caught a glimpse of him standing -- his hands twisting into his United sweatshirt. He passed it to Kibum when he sat down on the ground to slip on his shoes. “You doing okay?” he asked, peeking up at Minho as he switched feet.

He sighed, flipping the bright yellow tail of his new Quidditch robes back and forth over his knees. “I...think so.”

Kibum gave him a small smile as he hefted himself up and then held out his hand for Minho to pull himself up with. “Got the walnuts?” Minho patted his pocket as Kibum pulled the sweatshirt over his head. “Okay, let’s go.” He let Minho take the lead, and he leaned back a little to catch a glimpse of the number on the back of Minho’s robe.

 _Choi 10_.

“Hey, you got the number you wanted!”

Minho glanced back at him, smiling. “Yeah.” He let out a deep breath and Kibum patted his back before they started up the stairs to the main level.

There was a chill in the air as they stepped outside and made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. Kibum shivered, glancing up at the gray and overcast sky. Hopefully, for Minho’s sake, it wouldn’t rain.

“Are you gonna be too cold?”

Kibum blinked, glancing over at Minho as he looked away. “Hmm?”

“We can go back inside if you’re cold.”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Minho nodded, his lips pursing as they reached the pitch. He dug into his pockets and the walnuts clinked together as he collected them. Kibum held out his hands and Minho dropped them inside. “Get your broom. I’ll meet you at the top.”

They parted, Minho jogging toward the Hufflepuff tunnel and Kibum darting up the stairwell to the nearest tower. He was huffing and puffing by the time he reached the top. Once he regained his breath, he leaned over the edge to see if Minho had gotten his broom yet.

He had.

Minho mounted his broom and looked up, scanning the stands. Kibum leaned out, waving his hand with the walnuts. In a second, he was in the air and zipping toward Kibum. He overshot slightly, grabbing the support beam on the other side as he came to a stop.

“Ready?” he asked, grinning.

For some...unknown reason, Minho loved flying. Kibum would never understand it. But, whenever he saw the way Minho’s expression shone whenever he took flew, he wanted his best friend to feel this happy as often as possible. So, Kibum offered to help him practice as much as he wanted to in between classes and studying.

It was the least he could do to help Minho feel prepared and confident for his first game.

“Yeah,” he nodded to the empty pitch. “Let’s go, then.”

Minho kicked himself away from the stands and the blast of air rustled Kibum’s hair. He rotated the walnuts around in his hand, the hollow clicks ringing in his ears. Once Minho was in place high... _high_...above the ground, Kibum set the walnuts down, save for one.

That one, he tossed as hard as he could to the left.

Did Minho see it? Did -- His head snapped toward the slight movement, and soon, Minho was diving after the gold-painted walnut. He caught it with a somersault and looked up at Kibum. Even from this distance, Kibum could tell that Minho was grinning. He stuffed the walnut into his robe pocket and Kibum reached for another one.

Hopefully, Minho wouldn’t want to practice too much this morning. Breakfast would be served soon and if they went on too long, Minho might be tired before the game. 

Grunting, Kibum tossed the next walnut as hard and as high up as he could. He stepped away from the banister as Minho bolted past him in a flutter of yellow robes.

* * * * * * * * * *

The yolks in Minho’s fried eggs stared up at him from his untouched plate.

This wasn’t the first time nerves had killed any inkling of hunger he had. It usually happened before a game, and it was always worse when he knew his dad would be there. That obviously wouldn’t be the case today…

His stomach churned as he picked up his unbuttered toast and he grimaced. Marvin slid the bowl of blueberry jam closer to him and Minho shook his head as he dropped it back onto his plate. Seb swallowed his mouthful of eggs and sausage and gravy before he asked, “You not hungry?”

Minho shrugged.

“My mom always says that you should eat before going outside to play.” Marvin emphasized his point by taking a huge bite of toast.

“Quidditch is a little more than going outside to play…”

“I know that Travis, by my point still stands.”

“I wasn’t disagreeing with you? I’m just sa – “ Behind them, someone cleared their throat and Travis rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

Minho looked up to find Tanner towering over him, his Quidditch robes bright as a beacon. “You ready, sport?” Gulping, Minho nodded. Tanner whistled once, and the other players got up from their places down the table. Minho stood as they started making their way toward the door after Tanner.

Marvin patted his back before he walked away and Gilbert grabbed his robe sleeve. He held Minho in place as Connor finished spreading blueberry jam over two pieces of toast. “It’s not a lot, but it’s something.”

“Thanks, you guys…” Minho said, bowing slightly before he walked away.

“Good luck, Minho!” They called out to him. When he looked back, he found Seb and Travis standing on the bench and the rest of his dormmates waving at him. He gave them a small smile and a thumbs-up before he turned and picked up his pace to catch up to the others.

He didn't make it five steps down the hall before he heard, “Min-hooo! Wait!”

Kibum slung his arms over Minho’s shoulders before he even turned around. He pulled their heads together and held his polaroid out in front of them. Minho leaned a little closer, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath. There was the usual _click!_ and Kibum’s hold on him loosened, but his arm didn’t fall away from his shoulders. When Minho opened his eyes, Kibum was arranging the strap of the polaroid around his neck.

“Ready for this?”

“You’re coming with me?”

Kibum scoffed and stuffed his free hand into the pocket of Minho’s hoodie that he was still wearing from earlier. “Of course!”

They both squinted as they stepped outside – the sun had chased away the gray clouds from this morning – and Minho sneezed loudly. Several times. Kibum clung to his shoulder as he laughed, and soon Minho chuckled despite his nerves. When they eventually started walking again, Kibum wiped away his tears.

Minho passed him one of the pieces of toast and started nibbling on his piece, finishing it by the time they reached the pitch. “Okay,” Kibum said, rubbing Minho’s back before he dropped his arm. “I’m gonna go up to our spot. I’ll wait for you after.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck, Choi!”

Minho started to make his way toward the Hufflepuff tunnel, glancing over to see Kibum waving at him before he ducked into the stairwell. His heartbeat pounded in his ears again once Kibum was out of sight, and he sighed as he started down the hall.

The locker room door was open and the sounds of Smashmouth’s “All Star” reverberated down the empty corridor. Cameron, one of the Beaters, and Meg, one of the Chasers, were doing their best to sing along. Minho hurried down the hallway to the locker room.

“All Star” was one of Minseok’s favorite songs. Minho remembered when it first came out – they had annoyed their parents with their horribly loud reenactments of the song. It…was soon banned from the Choi household because they drove their mother insane.

During the first practice of the year, Minho was surprised to hear the song playing as they did their stretches. When he asked Cameron about it, she explained that their previous captain loved the song. He left his battery-operated cassette player there when he left two years ago. It was their tradition now to play it before every game.

But, Tanner _really_ loved the song, so he played it whenever they came down to the pitch.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Tanner said when he stepped through the doorway. “Turn.” Melissa, the Keeper, turned around and held up her arm as Tanner tied her padded leather chest plate together.

Meg passed Minho his leather shin and arm guards as well as his fingerless gloves. His hands shook as he took them, and he nodded his silent thanks before he went off to the bench below the window. As he started to lace them up, Tanner cleared his throat.

“All right, so we’re going up against Gryffindor. Patrick keeps…fucking bragging to me how they didn’t lose anyone last year so they’re the stronger team.” He rolled his eyes. “But they still got a new Seeker, so in my eyes, we’re on equal footing.” Minho finished pulling on his glove and looked up. “Okay, let’s stretch a little before we go.”

“Is Jon still the Keeper?” Tanner nodded and Meg laughed, looking over at Marc and Zach, the other two Chasers. “Go for the lower left goal, then.”

Minho raised his hand as he stretched out his hamstring. Once Tanner acknowledged him, he asked, “Who…who is the new Seeker?”

“Uh,” Tanner snapped his fingers. “D…Damian, I think.”

All at once, Minho regretted eating that piece of toast. His stomach churned as he reached out to touch his toes. Of course, it would be Damian. He was better than him at…well, everything. He was going to lose. Minho was going to lose and let down the team, his house, Kibum, and –

Tanner frowned, his brow furrowing as he stepped over the bench between them and crouched by Minho’s side. “You okay, sport?” He rubbed his back lightly, and out of the corner of his eye, Minho saw Tanner motioning to his teammates to leave. Or, that’s what he assumed was happening because pretty soon, it was only him and Tanner in the locker room. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Uh…”

“It’s totally okay to be nervous if you are.” Minho nodded, swallowing. Why was his mouth so dry? He swallowed again. “I’ve been playing Quidditch since my third year, and I get nervous before every single game.” Minho looked up at him, blinking. “Every single one!”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m not gonna lie to you, kid. These first couple of games are probably gonna suck for you. But, I wouldn’t have chosen you to be our Seeker if I didn’t see some sort of potential in you.” Minho let out a long sigh and nodded. “There’s a lot of pressure on Seekers and I’m sorry about that, but there’s nothing I can do. But, win or lose today, I and the rest of the team will not blame you. Do you know why?”

“…Because we’re a team.”

“Yes, and winning is a team effort.” Tanner smiled at him as he stood, and he held his hand out to help Minho up. “Do try to sip some water before you get up there, but don’t drink too much. It’s not fun to fly around when you’re waterlogged.”

“Okay.”

Minho followed Tanner as he left the locker room, both of their robe tails billowing behind them. He stopped quickly at the water fountain in the hallway, taking a couple of quick sips before running to catch up to Tanner.

The rest of the team was waiting for them just outside the door. Cameron handed Minho his broom and Melissa gave Tanner his. The team held back until Tanner took the lead. He strode onto the field, his head held high as he led them to the center where Madam Hooch and the Gryffindor captain stood waiting.

A cheer rang out in the stands, and Minho looked up to see the stands completely full. He stood up on his tiptoes, checking to see if he could find Kibum in the crowd. Not yet. The banisters were too high and he couldn’t see into the stands. Maybe when he was in the air.

Tanner and Patrick, the Gryffindor captain, broke away from their conversation with Madam Hooch, and he turned back them. “To your places, everyone.” Everyone dropped their brooms in mid-air, and Minho’s hand shook as he took hold of his. Once he mounted it, he looked up at Tanner, who gave him a quick nod.

And then, he soared up into the sky.

“Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!” Frowning, Minho looked over at the shared Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands. Kibum, Callum, Aaron, and all his dormmates were sitting together – well, more like standing together. They were all standing on the bleachers and blocking everyone behind them. Which was really rude of them.

Minho grinned, carefully letting go of his broom with one hand long enough to wave at them.

A Bludger whizzed past him, and Minho grabbed his broom again as he watched it zoom around the pitch. There was a slight glimmer of gold, and the Snitch flitted past him before it twitched down and away from him. Minho lost track of it in a few seconds when he the whistle of Madam Hooch’s whistle distracted him.

He took a deep, shuddering breath as the quaffle shot upward.

“Here we go…”

* * * * * * * * * *

The wind picked up when the Gryffindor team took to the pitch. Obnoxiously loud cheering took over the stadium. Kibum rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into Minho’s sweatshirt pocket. His teeth chattered as he stood up and peeked over the banister.

Still no sign of Hufflepuff.

He frowned and he sat back down. Callum huddled closer to him and Kibum glared at him. “What? You’re warm.”

“Back off.” Aaron opened up his blanket and Callum wrapped it around his shoulders.

Despite the fact that he knew Minho would not be coming to sit with him, Kibum couldn’t help but continue to check if he had arrived every time he glimpsed movement from the Hufflepuff stairwell. His gaze darted over again, and instead of Minho he found Minho’s dormmates huddled together in the doorway. The shortest one -- Seb, he thought his name was -- glanced around the stands and made eye contact with Kibum

He gestured to the other boys to follow him. Once he reached Kibum, he folded his arms and shivered. “You’re cheering for Minho, right?” Scoffing, Kibum nodded. “Mind if we join you?”

“Not at all.” He scooted over a little, looking over at Callum and Aaron. “You guys gonna cheer for Minho, too?”

“Sure.”

“Yeah, sure. I like Minho."

“Of course you do. He’s nice to you.”

Kibum smiled as a warm sort of pride bloomed in his chest. After Christmas last year, both Callum and Aaron decided that they liked Minho almost as much as Kibum did. They were wrong, of course. No one else at Hogwarts would ever earn that title, but it was nice that his other friends liked him, too.

"Plus, it's better than cheering for Gryffindor," Aaron said, grinning when Callum started to laugh.

A sparse cheer rippled through the crowd, and Kibum looked out into the field. The Hufflepuff team was jogging onto the field after their captain. Kibum hopped onto the bench, cupping his hands around his mouth when he finally spotted Minho. “Wooooo!” His voice, unfortunately, was drowned out by the crowd.

A hand grabbed him and Kibum flinched away from the touch, glaring down to see it was only Seb hefting himself up. “Sorry. Come on, guys, let’s cheer for him.” The rest of Minho’s dormmates stood on the bench, one of them turning around to apologize to the people behind them. Kibum kicked Callum’s thigh lightly, and soon he and Aaron were standing with them.

“What should we say?”

Kibum worried his bottom lip, finding Minho on the pitch again. He had just dropped his broom and mounted it. Cupping his hands around his mouth again, Kibum yelled, “Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!”

Minho flew up into the air, and the others joined in. “Choi Minho! Go, go, Choi Minho!” After a second, he looked their way and waved. Kibum bounced a little in place as he waved back. He clutched Minho’s sweatshirt when the whistle was blown. “Please let this go well,” he whispered.

“Can you guys sit down now?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Seb said to the older Hufflepuff behind them, and they all returned to their seats.

The sky before them was a mess of burgundy and yellow, and Kibum scanned the players. Minho sat high above it all, seemingly looking everywhere except the actual play. Which must be hard for him. A Bludger barrelled over the Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands, and everyone in its path ducked despite it not being remotely close to their heads.

“Ten points to Gryffindor!”

“What?”

“No!”

“Already? What the fuck!”

Kibum glanced over to the Hufflepuff side of the stands before he found Minho again. He gasped when one of the Bludgers flew near him. It barely missed Minho, probably because he backed out of the way, but it still took Kibum a moment to relax. He was fine; he was all right.

A jumble of players tumbled in front of Kibum’s view of Minho, distracting him momentarily. It was three Gryffindors crowding one of the...Chasers? _Turnbull 3_ , the back of her robe read. She fought her way out, twirling up and away and heading for the goal posts.

“Ten points to Huf -- “

The stands to Kibum’s right erupted in cheers and he could no longer hear the announcer. Grinning, he found Minho again, who was still scanning the air for a glimpse of the Snitch. Hufflepuff picked up the lead, then, scoring goal after goal after goal. It was soon ninety - twenty, and the cheers from the right side of the stands was almost deafening.

A hush fell over them all when Minho dived after the Snitch.

Kibum’s breath caught and he stood, watching Minho swoop down toward the pitch. On the other side of the stadium, the Gryffindor Seeker darted after him. “Breathe, Kibum, breathe,” he told himself as he strained to catch a glimpse of him. The Snitch appeared above the stands, then shot behind the tower and out of Kibum’s view. Minho’s robes flitted in his line of sight for a second before he followed after it.

When they showed up again, the Seekers were side by side, arms outstretched to catch the Snitch. The play was forgotten now, by basically everyone except for the athletes -- all eyes in the crowd were on the Snitch. Kibum thought he might have heard the announcer shout “Another ten points to Hufflepuff!” but he couldn’t be sure. Minho circled around Madam Hooch on the ground and flew up past the announcers stand high into the sky.

There was a glitter of gold just beyond his hand and Kibum leaned forward -- as if that would help Minho stretch just far enough to grab the Snitch.

He squinted, trying to see if Minho was any closer when one of the older Hufflepuffs in the crowd called out, “Foul! Hooch, that was a foul!” He glanced over at them and looked back to see the Gryffindor Seeker triumphantly holding up his hand.

"Damian has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!”

Minho was too far away; Kibum couldn’t read his face or even his body language, but he knew that he had to be devastated.

“What happened? Why are they calling it a foul?” Kibum asked as he sat back down.

“I think Damian pushed Minho out of the way, but I’m not sure,” Seb said, glancing over at his friend when they leaned forward.

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Is that allowed?” Seb shrugged and Kibum sighed.

Kibum didn’t really know Damian -- they had never actually spoken -- but at the moment he wanted to have a lengthy conversation. Somewhere out of the line of any teacher’s sight. However, Minho probably didn’t need him to get another detention right now.

Both teams were off their brooms now, and the captain had his arm around Minho as the Hufflepuff team started to trudge off the pitch.

“Excuse me,” Kibum said as he stood and started to shuffle down the bleachers to the Slytherin stairwell. He hurried down the stairs, and by the time he reached the Hufflepuff corridor, the door to the locker room was closed. Kibum walked down the hall and sat beside the door, hugging his knees as he waited for Minho to come outside.

There was some indistinct murmuring inside the locker room, but since Kibum didn’t hear Minho’s voice, he didn’t even bother to listen. About five minutes later, the door opened and several of the players filed out. He counted four, the three Chasers and the Keeper. They smiled at Kibum before they started back for the castle. After another ten minutes, one of the Beaters left, glancing down at Kibum as she closed the door.

“Are you...waiting for Minho?”

“Yeah.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Is he okay?”

She gave Kibum a sort of sad smile. “Yeah, he will be. First losses are hard.” Kibum nodded, gulping. “He should be coming out soon.”

“Okay.”

Kibum rested his chin on his knees when she disappeared behind the doorway. He closed his eyes, listening intently but hearing nothing. He wanted to bust through the door to see if Minho was okay for himself, but he had to be patient. In reality, it probably didn’t actually take an eternity for the door to open again, but it sure felt like it.

The captain walked out, closing the door behind him before he let out a long sigh. He rubbed his hand over his face and peeked through his fingers at Kibum before he lowered his hand to his side. “You must be Kibum.”

“Yeah.”

He found the knob behind him and cracked open the door. “You can go in.”

Kibum shot to his feet and pushed past the captain to get inside. “Minho?” he said quietly, searching the seemingly empty locker room. He closed the door when he heard a choked sniffle.

Stepping further into the room, he found Minho huddling in the farthest corner of the room between the end of the lockers and the wall. One hand was fisted in his short-cropped hair, and the other was banging the heel of his hand against his temple. He sniffed again and glanced up when Kibum approached, only to grimace and turn his tear-stained face toward the wall.

Kibum’s throat grew tight as he made his way over to his best friend. He hunkered on the floor next to him and leaned back against the wall, sighing. Their knees brushed together as Kibum crossed his legs and he turned slightly to face Minho.

Every time Minho hit his head, it sent a pang through Kibum’s chest. He could only stand it happening three times, and he reached out to him, his hand open and waiting.

A moment later, Minho took his hand and laced their fingers together.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Thanks for the assist.”

Damian’s voice kept ringing through his head over and over again, almost drowning out Tanner’s voice. Minho let out a shuddered sigh.

“It’s not your fault, you know that, right?” Minho gulped, not looking up from the dusty floor. Tanner rubbed his hands over his thighs. “You saw the Snitch first.” Damian caught it, though. “You did good today.” Not as good as Damian. “I’m really proud of you, all right?” When Minho didn't respond, Tanner sat back on his heels. “Do you want to be left alone?” 

He nodded, his throat burning. He couldn’t cry. Not yet. Not until Tanner was gone. 

“Okay, sport,” Tanner said, ruffling Minho’s hair as he stood. “I’ll see you at dinner.” His scalp tingled and itched when Tanner lifted his hand, and Minho tangled his fingers in his hair once Tanner’s back was turned. 

The door opened and closed, and then he was alone.

Tears threatened to spill, and he sniffled as he smacked his temple with the heel of his other hand. Too slow. _Thud._ Shouldn't play. _Thud._ Not good enough. _Thud._ The door squeaked open and Minho froze, staring wide-eyed at the floor.

“Minho?” 

He relaxed slightly at the sound of Kibum’s voice, and as he relaxed the tears started to flow. 

Minho curled into himself and turned away from Kibum when he made accidental eye contact with him. While he was glad that Kibum was here, he hated that he was seeing him like this. No one should ever have to see him being this weak -- he hated, hated, _hated_ it. He flinched when their knees touched as Kibum sat on the floor. 

After a minute or so, Kibum rested his hand palm up on Minho's lap. He stared at it for a second before he lowered his hands from his head and took Kibum’s hand. 

Much to Minho's surprise, he didn’t say a word. 

Instead, his thumb brushed back and forth over the back of Minho’s hand. Then, he tapped a rhythm on Minho’s hand. With every passing moment, the tension loosened in Minho’s chest and he wiped away his fallen tears with the back of his free hand.

“Dad...he was right.” Kibum was watching him when Minho looked up. “I shouldn’t have tried out.”

“Why not?”

Minho laughed mirthlessly. “You saw me out there. I sucked.” Kibum squeezed his hand. “I...I...” His throat constricted and he swallowed. “I should quit, huh.”

Kibum scooted a little closer to him and brought his other hand around to hold their already-joined hands. “I thought you did fantastic. Hey,” he said when Minho started to rebut. “I’m not lying. Why would I lie to you?” His bottom lip trembled as he tried to hold back a fresh wave of tears. “It was your first actual game, Choi. You can’t expect to be perfect the first time.”

“Yeah, I guess, but -- “ 

“Also, no offense, but what does your dad actually know about Quidditch. Is he a Quidditch coach? Has he ever actually watched a Quidditch game?” 

“No.” 

Kibum huffed. “So, there you go.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe it was worth giving Quidditch another chance. Maybe he wouldn’t suck so bad next time. Maybe he wouldn’t embarrass Tanner and the team and his house next time...Maybe...

“Do...” he cringed at how weak his voice sounded. “Do you think I should still play?” 

“Only if you want to” was Kibum’s immediate answer. 

Did he want to? At the moment, not necessarily. He hated -- no, he abhorred losing. After his football team lost back in Korea, his dad told him that if he had one more loss then he would take him off the team. His dad wasn’t here now, but he would probably say the same thing. 

But, what if Tanner said was true? What if he really did see potential in him? What if he just needed more practice? Who was he kidding, of course he needed more practice.

“Do you want to?” 

“I think...yeah, I do.” 

“Then, you should.” Minho’s stomach growled, and he then realized how hungry he actually was. His hand clutched his stomach and Kibum stood, pulling Minho to his feet. “Let’s go eat. I’m sure you’re starving.” 

“I am...a bit.” 

Kibum widened his eyes slightly as he released Minho’s hand. “Yeah, I have ears.” He smiled and Kibum gave him a dimpled smirk before he turned for the door. 

Minho dried his cheeks and nose with the sleeve of his Quidditch robes as he followed Kibum out of the locker room, his heart and mind feeling the lightest they had all day.


	15. Holly Jolly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait, wait, wait. You have the entire House to yourself?”
> 
> “Yup.” Kibum repeatedly smacked his arm in his apparent excitement. “Uh, ow?”
> 
> “We could hang out the entire time! You could show me around Hufflepuff, and…and…I gotta go write Grandma to tell her I’m staying.”
> 
> “Bummie – “ he started to say, but Kibum was already out of his seat and running to the door. Minho slipped his parents’ letter into his other robe pocket and started after Kibum, a grin blooming as he ran out of the Great Hall.

Snow floated down from the enchanted ceiling, stopping about a meter above the student’s heads. It collected on the myriad Christmas trees lining the walls of the Great Hall, caking the needles in a frosty white.

Preparations had already begun for the students to leave for the holidays. Deep cleaning of the dorms and the common rooms took up most of everyone’s time when they weren’t studying for exams. And, soon after exams finished, heaps of luggage started to accumulate by the front door.

Minho sat between Gilbert and Martin, tapping the letter in his hand against his palm. If Geum-nan would just show up already then he could figure out when his parents would be at King’s Cross to pick him up. Kibum’s mom would be home for Christmas this year and he was actually excited about seeing her.

At least, that’s what he kept telling Minho.

The owls flew inside the Great Hall in a rush, creating flurries in the wake of their flight. They dropped packages and letters as they blustered past, some landing on the tables in front of their students. Minho reached out, patting Geum-nan’s head as he took the letter from her. “Thank you,” he said quietly as he unraveled it.

> _Minho,_
> 
> _We trust your classes are going well and that you are applying yourself to your studies. Your father and I wanted you to know, in case you decided to write us during your break, that we will not be in the country until the new year._
> 
> _Your Uncle Junho has invited us to come visit him and his wife and new son over the holidays, and we’ve decided to accept his generous offer._
> 
> _We’ll send you pictures when we get home, and we’ll tell Sooyoung hello from you, as well as Jinki and Taemin if we get to see them. We hope you’ll have a great Christmas and a happy new year!_
> 
> _Love, Mom, Dad, and Minseok_

Gulping, Minho crumpled the letter he wrote in his fist. He extended a finger and stroked the soft feathers on Geum-nan’s cheek. “You can go back now, thank you.” The napkins on the table ruffled as Geum-nan took flight, following the other owls back to the owlery.

“What’d they say?” Gilbert asked.

Minho shrugged, stuffing his letter in his robe pocket. “They’re going back to Korea. It’s fine,” he said, forcing a smile when he noticed the concern in Gilbert’s eyes. “I’ll just stay here again.”

He sighed when Martin patted his back as he got up. “That sucks, buddy. I wish we could stay with you, but – “

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” And alone. Completely and totally. Every other Hufflepuff – except for Melissa, the Keeper – would be going home for the holidays. But, Melissa already told him that she would be spending the entire holiday with her best friend in Ravenclaw, so he’d have the entire common room to himself.

Which could be fun, but…

Across the room, Kibum laughed, and it drew Minho’s attention despite the din of the other student’s voices. It was his loud, gasping laugh that happened when something really, _really_ amused him. Callum was doubled over and Aaron pounded his fists on the table, both laughing as hard as Kibum.

Minho leaned forward, craning his neck to see the Slytherin table better. When Kibum glanced his way, Minho waved, and soon he was out of his seat and coming over to sit with Minho. He was still giggling by the time he settled across from him.

“What’s so funny?” Minho asked, smiling.

“Oh, well,” Kibum’s cheeks dimpled as he wiped tears out of his eyes. “Carson got a fake flaming newt from his dad as a practical joke and, well…it’s kinda hard to explain. It’s sorta a Slytherin inside joke.”

“Ah.”

“Hey!” Minho raised his eyebrows. “Is that from your parents?” He nodded. “What’d they say?”

“Nothing.”

Kibum squinted and Minho sighed. “They’re going to Korea for the holidays,” Gilbert answered for Minho.

“Well, damn…that sucks.”

Minho shook his head and fiddled with his parent’s letter. In his peripheral vision, he saw Gilbert nod and Martin patted his back again. “We’re gonna go pack.”

“Yeah, see you later, buddy.”

Minho turned to watch them leave as Kibum ducked under the table and slipped into the seat beside Minho. They were both quiet for a moment, and Minho started fraying the end of his parents’ letter. “I’ll stay with you.”

“Kibum…”

“Nope, no arguments. I’m staying.”

Despite the surge of happiness that coursed through him at Kibum’s declaration, Minho shook his head. “What about your mom, though? Won’t she be back? I thought you were excited about seeing her again.”

“I mean, yeah, but…I don’t want you to be lonely.” He nodded back toward the door. “Gil and Martin are both leaving, are Seb and the others staying or going?”

“Going. Same with all the other Hufflepuffs.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You have the entire House to yourself?”

“Yup.” Kibum repeatedly smacked his arm in his apparent excitement. “Uh, ow?”

“We could hang out the entire time! You could show me around Hufflepuff, and…and…I gotta go write Grandma to tell her I’m staying.”

“Bummie – “ he started to say, but Kibum was already out of his seat and running to the door. Minho slipped his parents’ letter into his other robe pocket and started after Kibum, a grin blooming as he ran out of the Great Hall.

* * * * * * * * * *

The ticking of Aaron’s alarm clock in Kibum’s hand kept him focused. Alert. Vigilant. It was almost eight in the evening, and Minho said that he would be there to open the barrel to let Kibum inside exactly at eight.

_7:57_

Groaning, Kibum tapped his thumb against the face of the clock, his gaze darting from barrel to barrel as he tried to remember which one held the entrance to Hufflepuff. He shifted the mass of presents and blankets and pillows in his arms, hoping that Minho would be the slightest bit early to open the door so he could finally put them down.

“Promise me you won’t even try to get in yourself.”

Kibum had huffed at the time, watching as a pair of Gryffindor girls walked past them in the library. “I’ve seen you do the password probably a hundred times. I’m sure I can get in.”

“Fine,” Minho leaned back, crossing his arms after he flipped the page of his book. “If you want to get sprayed with vinegar when you get it wrong, that’s up to you.”

Staring at the barrels now, he really didn’t know which one it was. Or even the right syncopation of taps. He had always teased Minho that Hufflepuff would be the easiest House to break into, but now, looking at the entrance, he knew he was wrong.

Not that he would ever admit that to Minho, of course.

_7:59_

“Come on, come on...”

Soon, there was a soft scraping sound coming from one of the barrels before the one right in front of him creaked open. Kibum jumped back, dropping one of the packages from Grandma in the process.

A warm, amber light seeped out behind Minho as he slipped out and stood. There was an earthy sort of smell that followed him, and Kibum’s heart leapt to his throat, nearly choking him. He was finally about to see Hufflepuff, where his mom and dad and grandma lived during their years at Hogwarts. He was going to exist in that space; he was going to see it for himself.

It...it was a lot to take in.

“Here, let me help you with some of that,” Minho said, distracting Kibum momentarily. He took the heap of blankets into his arms and bent to pick up the package before he focused on Kibum again. “Hey, are you all right?”

“Fine,” he squeaked, then cleared his throat. “I’m fine.”

Minho grinned. “Let’s go then.”

He dropped the blankets inside the barrel and crouched, pushing them ahead as he crawled inside. Kibum set the pillows and the other gifts down and followed Minho. The door -- if that’s what it could be called -- swung shut behind them, and instantly the sounds of them shuffling forward were amplified. Minho tucked the blankets and the package to his chest as he swung his legs off the ledge and jumped down into the common room.

“What do you think?”

All the descriptions that Grandma and Dad and Mom gave Kibum over the years did not even begin to do the Hufflepuff common room justice. He sat down in the tunnel, his legs dangling over the edge.

Minho laughed, grabbing Kibum’s knee and gently shaking it. “Don’t you want to come inside?”

“Give me a minute.”

Where Slytherin was cold and green and dank, Hufflepuff was warm and yellow and...alive. Tangled vines clung to the stones and the dirt between them and the rafters. It sort of reminded him of Professor Sprout’s home, even down to the intricate root designs protruding from the wall, the biggest, most detailed one hanging over the hearth.

Somehow, even the winter sun streaming through the windows between the rafters was warm and inviting. There was a faint smell of cinnamon mingling with the earth, which explained the sort of comforting scent that always seemed to follow Minho.

Smiling, Kibum scooted forward, but he did not jump out of the tunnel quite yet.

A fire roared in the fireplace between two round holes in the far wall -- those must be the entrances to the dorms -- and several plush mud-brown couches and armchairs were arranged just so around the hearth. There were more by the bookshelves, and over the back of each laid knitted blankets in every hue of yellow Kibum could imagine.

It reminded him of home. Had Grandma designed her house after Hufflepuff? It wouldn’t have surprised him in the slightest.

He jumped off and slipped his shoes off. Minho bent down and set them next to his own. “Okay so, this is the common room.”

“Obviously,” they said together.

“Boys dorms,” he said, pointing to the tunnel on the right, “so if you want to just follow me.” Kibum trailed behind him. He turned slowly as he walked, taking in as much of the common room as he could. Once he reached the right tunnel, he hefted himself up and hurried after Minho. There were several interlocking tunnels, kind of like how he imagined what the inside of a badger’s nest might look like.

Which, he guessed, made sense.

He peeked down one of the dim tunnels, searching for any trace of -- “Minho?”

Footsteps pounded ahead and Minho appeared down at the curve in the second tunnel. The tip of his wand glowed brightly, creating a silvery-white halo before him. “Down here! Sorry,” he said once Kibum caught up with him. “I forgot that you don’t know you’re way around yet.”

“That’s okay.”

Minho shifted the things in his arms, reaching toward the wall. It was then that Kibum noticed a circular door in the wall. He wasn’t sure quite how he missed it -- it was bright yellow with the number two painted on it. Minho turned the knob in the center and pushed it open.

The dorm room was set up almost identically to Kibum's own, which he didn't know why that surprised him. Six bunks, all pushed against the far wall, with small round windows in between them. He found Minho's bunk easily -- the one with the Quidditch uniform draped over the back.

Kibum walked past Minho and dropped his things on the bunk to the left of his. It was the third one from the wall, just like his in Slytherin. Minho set his armful down on the bed and dug under his pillow for his pajamas. He turned his back to Kibum as he changed into them, and Kibum sifted through the things he brought from Slytherin for his own pajamas.

Once Minho finished changing, he went between the bunks to the nightstand. "Here, help me."

Kibum hurried to his side once he pulled on his shirt and picked up one end of the nightstand. They hefted it to the other side of the room and Minho rubbed his hands together as they looked back at the beds. "What'd we do that for?"

"You think the beds will be too heavy to move on our own?"

"I mean, we can try..."

They both went around the side of the bed that Kibum had chosen, grunting and huffing as they pushed the heavy wooden beds flush together. When Kibum looked over at Minho, he was grinning. “You wanna go explore?”

Instead of answering, Kibum bounded out of the room, Minho's laughter following him.

* * * * * * * * * *

They didn’t talk about it much.

About Kibum, a Hufflepuff legacy, being sorted into Slytherin. For his part, Minho just didn’t care. The Houses were where the students slept and studied, and nothing more. Others, usually the wizard-born students, took great pride in their Houses. On some level, Minho understood that.

He liked Hufflepuff; he liked it a lot. The students who were sorted here were kind and helpful and understanding. The House itself was the second most relaxing place he could be in the entire castle -- second only to his and Kibum’s study closet.

But, Kibum...

He rarely talked about Slytherin, but when he did it was usually brief and with disdain. Seeing him now, taking in the common room with bright eyes and a slight smile, Minho could not help but feel a little guilty. Like always. Why couldn’t their Houses have been switched? It clearly meant so much more to Kibum.

Minho lowered his gaze to his dangling feet when Kibum looked his way. “Is it always so warm in here?”

“In the common room? Yeah...I can put out the fire, if you want.”

“No, no! I like it!” Minho peeked up at him to see him glancing around the room. “Where’s the loft?”

Hopping off his perch in the tunnel to the boy’s dorms, Minho slid a little way on the floor before he started walking toward the bookshelves on the other side of the room. He hunkered down before the third set of shelves and reached for the worn copy of _The Hobbit_. Once he tipped it back, the shelving opened up to reveal a darkened, winding staircase. Minho whipped out his wand, whispered _Lumos_ , and started up the stairs only to stop a second later when Kibum squeezed behind the stairwell.

“Bummie...Bummie?” When there was no reply, Minho stepped off and went to join him.

“Dammit,” Kibum said as he fumbled around in his pockets. “I think I forgot my wand on my nightstand.” He squinted up at Minho, patting the blankets laid on the ground beside him. “Help me look.”

Minho plopped down beside him, the light from his wand flickering as he twisted it back and forth between his fingers. “For what?”

“My parents' initials.”

Beneath the loft stairs, hundreds of names or initials were carved into the wood and earth. The was only the second time Minho had been down here, the first being when Rhys was giving the initial tour last year. It was often used, however, just not by him. Mostly couples, now that he thought about it. He never gave the secluded spot much attention while he was on his way to the loft.

Minho held up his wand, shining the light on the wood. “What are their names again?”

“Park Kimee -- that’s my mom -- and Kim Bumji.” Humming, Minho leaned forward, inspecting the names. “Why are there so many names?”

“Well...” Minho moved his wand, the shadows in the many indents shifted. “The loft has been here since the 30s and a lot of people come down here to, uh -- “ he paused, squinting. What was the term that Seb used? “ -- make out,” he said in English before switching back to Korean. “So, I guess it makes sense.” Minho glanced back at Kibum, then did a double take when he saw how wide his eyes were. “Did you find them?”

Sputtering, Kibum looked from the carvings to Minho and back to the names again. “Do you know what that means? _Making out?_ ”

“No, but -- “ Was Kibum blushing? It was hard to tell in this light. “ -- a lot of people do it so...What does it mean?”

“It...it’s, well...it’s like...a lot of kissing, and...and stuff.”

“Oh.” Minho’s entire face heated, and for once in his life, he was thankful for the darkness. “Well, that explains...” Kibum cleared his throat, and Minho held his wand back up to names. “Do you want to go up to the loft, now?”

“Sure!” Kibum said -- a little too enthusiastically -- and Minho shot up and hurried to the open doorway again. He started up the stairs once Kibum reached him.

“People come up here to study or read or just relax somewhere that’s not their room. It’s usually occupied during the day -- ”

“That makes sense.”

“ -- yeah. But I like coming up here at night.” Once they reached the final step, Minho moved to the side so Kibum could see.

During the day, one could see inside the little cave of a room. Massive pillows and handmade blankets abounded in the loft. There was a small iron stove in the back of the room with a kettle and a shelf of mugs above it. Right now, it was cloaked in shadow, and the only light in the room came from Minho’s wand and the moonlight streaming in from open-doored balcony overlooking the grounds.

“Where is this?” Minho made a confused noise and Kibum sighed. “Like, where _in_ the castle is this?”

“It’s right beside the kitchen if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Most people hate being up here right before dinner because they’re usually hungry and the smell is just too much.” Kibum laughed, patting Minho’s shoulder as he moved further into the room. “Why do you like coming here at night?”

“Here,” Minho said, heading over to the balcony. He whispered _Nox_ to his wand when he stepped through the doorway and gestured for Kibum to join him. Snow crunched beneath their feet as Minho looked up at the night sky.

Oh, good, it was a clear sky tonight.

“Oh, it’s so pretty!”

Minho glanced over at Kibum, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw his dimpled grin. “Yeah, I like looking at the stars, I guess. It’s relaxing.” Kibum nodded, his teeth chattering. “Cold?”

“A little.”

“We can explore more tomorrow. Let’s go get some hot cocoa.” Minho relit his wand and led Kibum back down to the common room. He put _The Hobbit_ back in its place and started toward the exit as the shelving came back together.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“The kitchen?”

“But it’s after hours?”

Minho chuckled. “Yeah, so?” Kibum gave him a confused blink, and Minho grabbed his hand, leading him to the tunnel and out of the barrels. They walked down the hall and took the first right, both glancing around at the many still life paintings of food lining the halls. Minho stopped after a while at one of the bowls of fruit paintings. He reached out and tickled the fattest part of the green pear and stepped back, waiting for its familiar giggle.

“Wait, what?” Kibum asked when it came, and Minho just laughed as he pulled on the door handle that took the pear’s place. He pushed open the wall and stepped back for Kibum to walk through before him. “Woah...”

With the exception of the enchanted ceiling, the kitchen of Hogwarts was almost an identical copy of the Great Hall. There were shelves on every wall leading almost up to the ceiling, and they were all filled with food. Pots and pans and cauldrons and kettles hung on the rock wall around the ginormous fireplace. Hooks and stands for the pots were posted all around the fire for the house elves to cook with.

The reason the walls were filled to the brim with food and equipment was laid before them -- the five long tables from the Great Hall. They were the same size as and arranged exactly like the ones upstairs. Sookey, Minho’s favorite elf, explained it to him one night when she was making him hot cocoa. These tables were enchanted to be attached to the ones upstairs, and that’s how the food magically appears.

This was Minho’s sixth -- or seventh, he couldn’t remember -- visit to the kitchen, so the novelty had sort of worn off by now. A glance at Kibum told him that his best friend was still awe-struck. Smiling, Minho darted off between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables to reach the roaring fire. He grabbed a kettle off the wall and went over to one of the sinks, filling it up. By the time he had returned to the fireplace, Kibum was starting to meander through the kitchen.

“I didn’t think it would be so big.”

Minho laughed and set the kettle on its hook. “Yeah, I was the same way when I first saw it.” Kibum eventually reached him, but he was still looking around. “Come on, let’s get mugs.”

He guided Kibum back over to the sinks and pointed out where the cups were, and Kibum grabbed two. Minho opened the drawer and pulled out two of the packets of hot cocoa his parents would send him periodically. He kept some in his room but he also asked Sookey to put a couple in the kitchen as well. Once Kibum returned with the mugs, Minho tore the packets open and dumped them inside.

Soon enough, the kettle was singing, and they were on their way back to Hufflepuff with steaming mugs of hot cocoa. “We’ve got to hurry,” Minho said as he tapped in the password. “I think it’s almost lights out.”

They crawled through the tunnel and into the common room as the lights dimmed. Minho whipped out his wand and lit the tip. “Hold onto my shoulder so you don’t get lost.” Once Kibum grabbed him, Minho started for his room.

The bright yellow door of the second year’s dorm almost glowed in his wandlight, and soon they were tucked into bed, sipping on their hot cocoa.

“Still have the stars?”

“Hmm? Oh...” Minho looked up at the glow-in-the-dark stars tacked to the ceiling of his bunk. Mom had bought two more packs for him to bring with him this year, and they had definitely helped. Still, it was embarrassing. He was thirteen now, he shouldn’t still be scared of the dark...but he was. At least Kibum was kind about it and didn’t make fun of him. “Yeah.”

“I still have the one from last year.” Minho almost choked on his hot cocoa. “I put it with my polaroids.”

“Really?”

In the darkness, Minho barely saw Kibum nod. He smiled and took another sip of his cocoa. Kibum set down his mug on the windowsill between their beds before he slipped under the covers, facing Minho. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Me?”

“No, the ghost behind you.” Minho almost jumped onto Kibum’s bed in shock, the rest of his hot cocoa spilling onto his pajama shirt. “Oh, no, I was kidding! I’m sorry, Min...” he said as he climbed out on Kibum’s side and felt his way to his dresser, setting the now-empty mug on top of it.

“It’s okay, Bummie,” he said, laughing now.

Why would there have been a ghost in the dorm? And Kibum was even more scared of the ghosts inhabiting the castle than Minho was so he would have screamed if there really were one. He quickly pulled off his shirt and changed into a new one before he crawled back into bed.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s okay.” Kibum huffed, but then laid back down when Minho did. “I don’t know...what I want to be when I grow up. I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”

“You could play Quidditch.”

“For a career?” Kibum hummed his ascent and Minho scoffed. “I’m not good enough for that.”

“Minho...”

“No.” If there were enough light to see, Minho would probably find Kibum almost-but-not-quite glaring at him with squinted eyes and a set jaw. He pulled the covers up to his chin. “What about you?”

“A banker.”

Minho blinked. “Like, at Gringotts? Why?”

“My dad, he was a banker, both for Muggles and for the few witches and wizards living in Korea.”

“Oh. That’d be cool.” Silence stretched between them, and Kibum yawned. “Sleepy?”

“A little.”

“Okay. Good night, Bummie.”

Another yawn. “Night...” Minho rolled over onto his stomach, hugging his pillow. Patches of moonlight gleamed onto their mattresses, and Minho stared at the one that grazed the fingertips of Kibum’s hand. It rested on the edge of Kibum’s bed, and Minho wanted to prod it gently back to Kibum’s side.

But, he didn’t. Instead, he just watched it until his own eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

On Christmas morning, Kibum woke when the wind shuddered the windowpane between the beds. A snowstorm had kept them all inside during the holiday since the others left for home. Not that Kibum minded. At all.

The days until Christmas passed far too quickly for Kibum. He tried to pack as much time as he could into exploring Hufflepuff for himself, and thankfully, it seemed that Minho was more than happy to indulge him.

The morning after his first night there, they ran back to Slytherin to get his wand and his camera that he forgot in his excitement. After breakfast, they rushed back to Hufflepuff so Kibum could see it in the light of day. If he was being honest, there wasn’t much to explore, but it was still nice to actually see all the places and things his family had told him about for years and years.

He also took more pictures than he had during the entirety of last year. Of himself, of Minho, of he and Minho together, or even some without them at all. His favorite was the one he took by the fire on Christmas Eve. Minho was sitting in the biggest armchair Kibum thought he had ever seen, reading, and Kibum jumped across his lap and pulled him into the frame. They both laughed, and before the scene restarted, Minho had pushed him away, blurring the final couple shots.

Sighing, Kibum looked up from the photo at glanced at the still-sleeping Minho. His face was smashed into his pillow, and a little bit of drool was pooling beneath his parted lips. Kibum sniffed in amusement as he set the picture aside and slipped out of bed.

He shuffled over to Minho’s dresser, where he had been keeping his things during his stay, and opened the drawer, his gaze settling on the yellow and black striped tie and the uniform folded beneath it. Reaching out, his fingertips grazed the cool silk before he quickly drew back his hand.

Minho was still asleep if his soft snoring was anything to go by...plus, he probably wouldn’t mind.

Kibum glanced back, just to make sure, before he grabbed Minho’s uniform and hurried over to the mirror between the two dressers. It took some effort, but soon he had draped Minho’s uniform around him, with the tie hanging loosely around his neck.

He turned to the side, admiring himself. The yellow suited him better than the green, he thought. Even without actually wearing the uniform, he definitely looked more like his dad when he was in school.

“Bummie?” Minho’s voice cracked, and Kibum dropped the uniform into a heap on the floor, before he turned to find a rather sleepy and confused looking Minho sitting up and watching him. “What are you doing?”

“Uh...” He looked down at the crumpled pile of gray and black and white, and then at the tie still hanging around his neck. Grimacing, he pulled it off his head. “Sorry, I, uh, I’ll fold them back up.”

Minho patted Kibum’s vacant bed, a quiet beckoning. Sighing, Kibum dropped the tie on top of the heap and trudged back to bed, hugging his knees once he was situated. Minho leaned back against the wall, folding his hands in his blanket-covered lap.

For a long time, neither said anything. Kibum kept trying to, his mouth opening when he thought he found the right words. He rested his chin on his knees and took a deep breath. “You’re really lucky.”

“How so?”

“Just, you know,” he gestured around the room, and Minho glanced around. “Being here. In the nice House. The _good_ House. Not the _evil_ House.”

“Slytherin isn’t evil.”

Kibum scoffed. “Uh, yeah, it is.” Minho’s brow furrowed as he met Kibum’s incredulous gaze. “You’ve heard of Voldemort, right?” Minho nodded slowly. “Slytherin. It hasn’t even been ten years since he was defeated...like...some of his Deatheaters -- all Slytherins, I think, if they went here -- are still all on trial, according to the _Daily Prophet_. Grandma -- “ his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Whenever she brings up Slytherin, she sounds almost...angry, you know?”

“Not at you, though.”

“No, not directly. But she still is. Anytime Slytherin comes up, I’m always like ‘Is this it? Can tell her now?’ and every time...I don’t.” Minho sighed, his fingers fidgeting in his lap. “I need to, though, I know I do. And I hate it...I hate lying to her.”

“I know.”

“And I hate myself, too,” Kibum almost said, but he held back. His bottom lip trembled, and he took a deep breath. “This just sucks.” He turned his head away from Minho and wiped away a falling tear. “Because like, in the back of my mind, I know that she will accept me, a-and forgive me -- “ he paused again, gulping past the lump in his throat. “ -- but I’m still terrified, because, what if...what if she doesn’t?”

His voice broke then, and he tried to cover it by clearing his throat, but Minho scooted across his bed and wrapped him in a tight hug. Any hope Kibum had of holding back his tears dissolved when Minho started rubbing his back.

“It’s okay,” he said when Kibum buried his face in Minho’s shoulder, his own shoulders shaking as he started to sob. “It’s okay, Bummie.”

Kibum hated crying -- his face would get all scrunched up and he’d just be all drippy and gross. If he were to cry, he would try to wait until he was completely alone so no one would ever see him.

Right now, though, he couldn’t even bring himself to care that Minho was here -- oh god, his tears and snot were probably soaking into Minho’s shirt right now...ugh, they were. He turned his head to a dry part of Minho’s shoulder and wiped his nose. Usually, he would be beyond embarrassed to be seen like this, but, this was Minho, his best friend who was trying his hardest to comfort him.

It didn’t take long for his tears to dry up, and once they did, Kibum sat still, focusing on the rhythmic back and forth of Minho’s hand across his back as he tried to steady his breathing. He did feel a little better, getting all that out helped some. Still, he wished he could find it within himself to tell Grandma the truth.

Would he ever be ready? Only time would tell...

“You know,” Minho said, his hand pausing on a downstroke. “I don’t think Grandma will think you’re a Deatheater.”

Kibum snorted and pushed himself out of Minho’s arms, smiling at him as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “That’s true.”

“A-and...I know I’m not the best when it comes to advice, especially with this sort of thing, but...I’m here if...if you need to talk, okay?”

“Okay.”

“So, do we want to open presents now, or -- “ Minho was interrupted by the bell for breakfast, and both of them scrambled out of bed. He hurried over to his dresser and dug around for his hoodie while Kibum ran to the mirror.

“Does it look like I’ve been crying?”

Minho inspected his face when Kibum turned to him. “A little. We can stop by the bathroom first so you can splash some cold water on your face. A-ha! Found it.” He pulled out sweatshirt he had gotten from his parents a few weeks ago for his birthday and yanked it on, throwing the hood off his head. “I hope they have French toast again this year.”

“Ooo, me too.”

* * * * * * * * * *

There was French toast. And, of course, it was delicious.

The chatter around the table was quiet but lively, and lead mostly by Headmaster McGonagall. She was the only Hogwarts staff member present, and there were only ten students there, including himself and Kibum. McGonagall asked them how their years were going and how their families were doing.

Kibum and Minho sat quietly, eating and listening to everyone’s stories. While Gregory, a Ravenclaw, was talking about his dog back home, Kibum took a tangerine segment from his plate and dropped it into the pool of syrup in one of Minho’s pieces of French toast.

Minho blinked at it before he pushed it aside with his fork. Another one replaced it, and Minho looked over at Kibum, who was trying to conceal his dimpled grin behind his hand as he continued to peel his tangerine.

“Stop,” Minho said, his attempted stern tone breaking with a giggle. Kibum popped the next one in his mouth and started chewing as Minho cut off another bite of French toast.

Good, he was feeling better -- Minho had been worried. The tension he had sensed from Kibum since the moment he first came inside Hufflepuff seemed to be gone now, which was a huge relief.

Another tangerine segment plopped onto his plate and Minho dropped his fork, fixing Kibum with the hardest glare he could muster. Kibum burst into giggles and Minho chuckled, glancing up at the head of the table to where the Headmaster sat. Her gaze flicked between the two of them a small smile brightening her features before she returned her attention to Gregory.

Once breakfast was finished, they ran downstairs to Hufflepuff, eager to open their presents from Grandma. He had already opened the one his parents gave him last week -- he had been too excited to wait. It was an iPod mini, and it was full of most of his favorite songs, which meant that Minseok must have helped them. It came with a charger, but Minho had been unable to find a plug-in anywhere in the castle so far.

Still, it was the thought that counted.

Kibum grabbed their presents from under his bed and sat down on the floor, tossing Minho’s to him when he sat. He unwrapped the sweater-feeling one to find that, yes, it was a sweater.

“Ooo, I like this a lot,” Minho said, holding up his new lilac sweater.

“Look at mine!” Kibum draped his new navy blue sweater across his chest.

Minho laughed and reached for the polaroid. “No, put it back up and pose.” Kibum turned his head to the side and posed dramatically as Minho took the picture. “You’re stupid,” he said with a chuckle as the picture started developing and Kibum smacked his arm.

“You -- shut up.”

“’Kay.” Minho grabbed the next present, opening it up to reveal a chocolate frog and a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

“Huh...” Minho hummed in question. “Uh, she usually sends pumpkin pasties or something, but there’s nothing.”

“Maybe her oven is broken? Or she was just busy?”

“Maybe.” Kibum pulled off his t-shirt and slipped into his new sweater before he grabbed his box of jellybeans. “First one who finds the earwax one loses.”

“What does the winner win?”

“Not finding the earwax one. Duh.” Minho snorted, his gaze shifting down to the picture he just took as the scene restarted. The tell-tale yellow bedspread was very obvious behind Kibum. Frowning, he opened the box of jellybeans and popped one into his mouth without looking, coughing a second later. “Earwax already?”

“Pepper.” He coughed again. “Hey, I don’t know if you show Grandma any of the pictures from this week...until you tell her, I mean.”

“Why not?”

Minho squinted as he chewed on a lemon jellybean. “It’s a little too Hufflepuff...well...you know...”

“No, you’re right.” He let out a long sigh. “I won’t, I swear.” Kibum held up another bean and Minho dug around in the box for his next one. He hummed happily while Minho spit his out. “What’d you get?” he asked with a laugh.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Did...did I win?”

Minho widened his eyes and wiped his mouth with the back of his hands. “I said, I don’t want to talk about it.” “

Woo! I won!” Minho rolled his eyes and shook his box, looking down at the beans rattle around. “All right, whoever finds...vomit loses.” Kibum already had a bean out, a bright green.

“That could be vomit.”

“Or green apple. I’m willing to gamble.”

“Oh, really?” Minho poured out the beans into his hand and also found a bright green one. “Same time.” Kibum nodded, and they both popped them into their mouths, chewing. Yes! He had gotten the green apple, and judging by the look on Kibum’s face...

His sweater fell to the ground as he launched across the room, grabbing the empty mug on the nightstand. He spit several times into it and reached for his t-shirt, wiping his mouth off on it. Shuddering, Kibum returned to his place and opened his chocolate frog, biting off its head.

“I don’t want to play anymore,” Kibum said around the chocolate in his mouth, and Minho fell back on the ground, laughing heartily.


	16. Push and Pull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’ll be late for class.”
> 
> “Like Binns will notice.”
> 
> It was very unlike Minho to suggest skipping class, even if it was just History of Magic. Kibum squinted, his eyes darting behind Minho to the snow-covered yard behind him. “What’s so important that you have to show me right now?”
> 
> Minho’s expression blanked for a second before he smiled again. “I…I found a baby niffler!”

Heavy footfalls and the excited chatter of his fellow students surrounded Kibum as he made his way through the dark stairwell. Potions was over, finally. Slughorn had, once again, talked for far too long about the benefits of the Wiggenwald Potion and he hadn’t even gotten to the ingredient list yet. It was the third day in a row, and at this point, Kibum found himself looking forward to History of Magic.

Besides, Minho was in that class with him. He made the dreary boredom slightly more tolerable. Speaking of…

Kibum picked up his pace and nudged his way to the front of the crowd and stepped out onto the first floor of the castle. He glanced down the corridor, searching the crowd of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs on their way back from Herbology for his best friend. 

There he was – Kibum stepped up on his tiptoes and waved – partially blocking the doorway. All the other students squeezed around him and his backpack as they trudged inside from the cold. When Minho looked over, he nodded but didn’t wave in return. 

“Kib, you coming?” 

“Hmm?” His gaze darted over to Aaron, who pointed to the staircase all the other second years were started to climb. “Oh, yeah.” He started to follow him and looked back to Minho, who was still standing in the doorway. Was he…he was nodding him over. “I’ll be there in a minute,” Kibum mumbled as he hurried past Aaron and over to Minho. “What’s wrong?” 

There was a bright twinkle in Minho’s eyes that Kibum did not think came from the torches lighting the hallway. “Follow me,” Minho said with a poorly-concealed grin. “I wanna show you something.”

Slowly, Kibum stepped back, shaking his head. “We’ll be late for class.”

“Like Binns will notice.” 

It was very unlike Minho to suggest skipping class, even if it was just History of Magic. Kibum squinted, his eyes darting behind Minho to the snow-covered yard behind him. “What’s so important that you have to show me right now?”

Minho’s expression blanked for a second before he smiled again. “I…I found a baby niffler!”

“Really?” 

“Really!” Minho stepped back, his footsteps crunching in the snow. Tentatively, Kibum followed him down the lane and into the yard. He pulled his robes tighter around himself when his teeth started to chatter. Minho led him around one of the apple trees, its bare branches laden with snow, and pointed at the ground. “See it?” 

Kibum took a step closer to where Minho pointed, finding nothing but muddy snow. “How small is it? I don’t see anyth – “ 

Behind him, there was the faintest creak of branches bending. The creak was Kibum’s only warning before heaps of snow cascaded from the tree and covered Kibum’s head and shoulders and robe and books. He gasped, freezing in place as the snow continued to plop on and around him. 

Minho’s obnoxious cackle erupted behind him. 

At that point, he couldn’t help but laugh himself, shaking the snow off before he chased Minho back to the castle. Ahead of him, Minho slipped on the path but found his footing before he completely fell. He was already well on his way to the staircase by the time Kibum reached the doorway. 

Kibum stomped the snow off his shoes and ran after him, his wet soles sending a series of squeaks echoing throughout the empty corridor. He caught up to Minho by the time they reached the door of the classroom. Kibum punched his arm and Minho pressed his finger to his lips as he opened the door to the classroom.

Binns did not notice them creeping along the back wall, nor did he notice the snickering of the students who turned to watch them hurry to their seats. Kibum slid onto the bench, and almost off of it until Minho caught his arm and pulled him back up. 

“Shut up,” Kibum said, suppressing a laugh. 

“Sorry, Bummie.” 

Judging by his attempt at hiding his smile, Minho didn’t mean that at all. Kibum rolled his eyes and started to wring out his soaked robe. “No, you’re not.” 

Minho glanced up to the front of the classroom before he slipped off his backpack and dug around inside. When he sat back up, he brought his sweatshirt up with him instead of his textbook, sliding it across the desk. “You wanna borrow it?”

Did he…plan to do this? Scoffing, Kibum jabbed his elbow into Minho’s side before he snatched the hoodie from the desk. He started to peel off his wet robe while Minho rubbed his side. “I’ll get you back, Choi,” he whispered, and Minho snorted.

Analecia turned around and shushed them both, and they fell quiet. Kibum folded his robe and set it on the bench between them before he pulled Minho’s hoodie over his head. As the lesson dragged on, Minho only nodded off once, but Kibum pinched his arm until he stirred. 

The bell eventually rang, but Binns continued to drone on about the International Warlock Convention of 1289. Five minutes passed – Kibum knew because Aaron checked his watch and held up five fingers – and Seb snapped his fingers once. Kibum and Minho, as well as some of the other students around Seb’s desk, started to quietly and carefully pack up their things. By the time they all stood to leave, most of the other students were also getting ready to do the same. Binns monotone voice followed them as they all tiptoed out into the hall.

“You’d think he’d know to stop teaching when the bell rings by now," Gilbert said as they made their way down to the Great Hall. 

“I don’t think he really cares.” 

“Yeah,” Kibum said, folding his still-wet robe in his arms. “Being a ghost will do that to you.” Minho cracked up, his high-pitched laugh echoing through the hall. The group parted at the doorway, Kibum following the Slytherins to their table.

He plopped his robe down on the table and rolled up the sleeves of Minho’s hoodie as he sat. “What happened?” Callum asked, nodding to the damp robe.

Kibum scoffed, smiling. “Minho thought he was being funny.” Aaron, Callum, and Analecia turned to look at the Hufflepuff table across the Hall. “I haven’t decided how I’m gonna get him back yet, but I’ll think of something.”

“I believe in you,” Analecia said, her voice deadpan. 

“Gee, thanks.” 

Lunch soon appeared before them, and everyone dug in, eating as quickly as possible before they had to get to their next class. Kibum grabbed one of the sandwiches, chewing it thoughtfully while he stared past Aaron to the Hufflepuff table. How would he get his revenge? He probably couldn’t get Minho back outside, that would be too obvious. What if –

“Ana, here.” Kibum looked up at Charlie, one of Slytherin’s prefects, as she handed Analecia her tie. “I got the smudge out for you.” 

Oh.

Charlie Dunn was one of the better spell-casters in Slytherin -- maybe even in all of Hogwarts -- and everyone knew it. She had a tendency toward weather-related spells. Kibum had seen her, on several occasions, cast a rain cloud over a boy when he would not leave one of the girls alone in the common room -- or even in the library, one time. That time, the fourth year had ignored the rain until she added a couple strikes of lightning and a thunderclap. 

All the Slytherin boys feared her and all the Slytherin girls adored her. 

Analecia’s cheeks colored. “Thank you so much, Charlie. It looks better than new!”

Charlie smiled and ruffled Analecia’s hair. “No problem, kid.” When she looked up, Aaron and Callum's gazes immediately returned their plates. Kibum blinked when her eyes met his. “Need something from me?”

“Uh, maybe.” 

Her eyebrows rose and she crossed her arms. “What?”

Kibum leaned forward, ignoring the terrified shaking of Aaron and Callum’s heads, and nodded across the Hall. “Okay, so see that Hufflepuff? The one who’s stuffing as many sandwiches as he can into his mouth?”

Charlie snorted. “Yeah?”

“Could you cast a snow cloud over his head?” Her jaw set and she turned back toward him. Kibum gulped. “Or rain. Or, just, whatever you want.” 

She glanced over her shoulder at Minho again before she tapped Aaron’s shoulder and gestured for him to scoot down. “You expect me to participate in bullying someone?” she asked once she sat down.

"It...no, it's..." Kibum’s mouth dried as her stare bored into him, and he looked to Aaron for help. 

“No, that kid is Minho and he’s Kibum’s best friend.”

“Yeah.” 

Analecia nodded, pointing to the robe on the table. “Minho pranked him earlier and Kibum just wants to get him back.”

“Oh.” Charlie sat back, her expression instantly brightening. “Okay, I’m good with that.” She glanced back at Minho again and Kibum let out a sigh, slumping against the table until she turned back around. “Rain would be better. Snow wouldn’t have the same effect, I don’t think. You swear this isn’t bullying? Because if it is -- ” 

Kibum held his hand over his heart. “I solemnly swear.”

Charlie squinted at him as she stood. She whipped out her wand and pointed it across the room, muttering “Ecfio imber,” as she walked away.

Instantly, a gray cloud accumulated over Minho’s head, and it must have started raining, judging by the shriek that silenced the Great Hall. Kibum was half out of his seat, watching as Minho jumped out from behind the table and looked up at the rain cloud that followed him. 

Kibum started laughing – as if he could have helped it – and Minho swung around. Even from the distance, Kibum could see the realization dawn in his face.

So, he started to run. 

The ginormous cloud over Minho’s head disappeared as soon as he stepped outside. Kibum slipped and threw his arms out to maintain his balance. He kept running down the snow-covered pathway without looking back at Minho, now that he was outside. 

Snow had started to fall again – for how long now, Kibum wasn’t sure – and it barely covered the snow with a fresh, pillowy layer. Even the Whomping Willow, which usually did its best to fend itself off from the snow, was lined with a thin layer of white and frost. Kibum dodged its whipping branches and glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Minho did the same. 

He sloshed through the blanket of previously untouched snow on his way across the lawn. Soon, the ground beneath the snow grew even slicker, and he slid to a stop, slowly turning around to face Minho, who had stopped a couple meters away.

“Told ya…I’d…get you…back!” Kibum shouted between heavy breaths. 

Minho let out a breathy chuckle. “I wasn’t…expecting…so soon.” He hunkered down, dragging his hand through the snow.

“Ha!” Kibum sighed, looking up at the gray sky as he caught his breath. He blinked the snowflakes out of his eyelashes. There was a soft sort of _whoosh_ sound and soon Kibum staggered back in surprise. He looked down and saw a bit of caked-on snow flaking off Minho’s sweatshirt. Minho chuckled as Kibum brushed it off. “Did you…throw a snowball at me?”

Minho grinned, packing another one between his bare hands and Kibum bent down to gather some snow for himself. They threw them at the same time, Kibum’s barely clipping Minho’s shoulder while Minho’s whizzed by his head. Kibum took a couple steps back, trying to get out of Minho’s range when – 

_Crack!_

The ground beneath Kibum faltered and they both froze, Kibum slowly turning to look at Minho. 

Shit, he was out on the Black Lake. He was too far out, the ice was too thin. Kibum glanced around for any sort of support or way to get off the iced over lake safely, but there was only Minho – wide-eyed Minho watching his every move from the shore. 

“Okay…okay, uh,” Minho scanned the space between himself and Kibum and went over to Kibum’s footprints on the shoreline. “Just walk exactly where you stepped before.” 

“Okay.” 

Kibum carefully lifted his foot, cringing at the loud creak of the ice beneath him as he placed his foot back down. Minho was slowly following Kibum’s footprints onto the ice, frequently looking up to check on Kibum’s progress. Across the lawn, the bell for the next class rang, and Kibum’s gaze darted to the castle as he tried to pick up his pace.

“Slowly, Bummie!” 

Kibum took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself before he found his next footprint. 

Before too long, Kibum was able to clasp Minho’s outstretched hand. They both hung onto each other tightly as Minho started to lead them back to shore. “Almost there, we’re almost there,” he kept muttering, the ice beneath them cracking and creaking with every step. 

Once they were both safely off the ice, Kibum wrapped Minho in a tight hug. Minho returned the embrace -- twice as tight, Kibum thought. “That was scary,” he said, his words muffled by Minho’s shoulder. In return, Minho could only nod.

Kibum’s erratic breaths returning to normal after a few moments, and he heaved a sigh as he let go of Minho. His teeth were chattering, and by the way Minho was shuddering, he was cold, too. Oh...his clothes…they were wet from the rain cloud! Kibum yanked off Minho’s sweatshirt as fast as he could and started to help Minho into it.

“Bum-m-mie, I’m fin-ne,” he said, attempting to fight Kibum’s efforts. 

“You need it more than me right now.” Minho shivered and looked over Kibum's now-coatless frame grumpily. “If you’re so concerned, let’s hurry back and get some hot cocoa so we can warm up.” 

“We’re late for class, though,” Minho said, sniffing. 

“Who even cares?” Kibum grinned when Minho started to retort. “Are you that eager to get to Potions?” Minho stopped mid-step, rubbing his cold-kissed nose. “Not really.”

“Didn’t think so.”


	17. Shooting Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a day starts off bad, it’s sort of hard to recover from... He knew why he woke up late; he couldn’t fall asleep last night. Not until after 4:17 – which was the last time he glanced over at Seb’s clock. Nerves for the Quidditch game later this afternoon as well as for his Charms test kept him awake. In an attempt to make himself fall asleep, he tried counting the stars above his bunk.
> 
> It didn’t work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N** : after some thought and multiple requests, I decided to write the scene that I mentioned in my previous note when I originally posted this. It’s just at the end, after they’re in the infirmary for the night. You’re totally free to read it or not, I’m just letting y’all know it’s there now lol_

When a day starts off bad, it’s sort of hard to recover from.

Minho slept through breakfast as well as the first fifteen minutes of Transfiguration. When he woke to an empty dorm room, he glanced over at Seb’s alarm clock. _8:45_

“Oh, crap!” He scrambled out of bed, bleary-eyed and panicked, and rushed over to the dresser to change into his uniform. In his hurry, it took him a while to find his things, and his hands trembled as he pulled on his socks.

Of course he would sleep in today…

He knew why he woke up late; he couldn’t fall asleep last night. Not until after _4:17_ – which was the last time he glanced over at Seb’s clock. Nerves for the Quidditch game later this afternoon as well as for his Charms test kept him awake. In an attempt to make himself fall asleep, he tried counting the stars above his bunk.

It didn’t work.

Grabbing his heavy backpack, Minho slung it over his shoulder and ran out the door. The common room was painfully quiet as he shuffled across the hardwood floor on his socked feet. Once his shoes were on, he was out the door and on his way to the ground floor.

The door to Classroom 1 was propped open, so Minho sat down beside the doorway. He leaned back against the wall as he listened to Professor Crowell continue her lesson from yesterday on the theory of transfiguring living creatures to inanimate objects. He dug through his backpack and, after a moment, he sighed heavily. Last night, he had forgotten to exchange his afternoon-class books for his morning-class textbooks.

At least Kibum was in there right now, taking good notes to share with him, as usual.

Minho hugged his backpack and rested his chin on the top, waiting as patiently as he could for Transfiguration to finish. He jumped to his feet when the bell rang and he stepped away from the doorway, leaning forward to watch for Kibum. The students flooded out of the classroom, most smiling or greeting Minho as they passed by. When Kibum appeared, he found Minho instantly and surged through the other students to reach him.

“Are you okay? Where were you?”

“I over-slept.”

Kibum’s brow furrowed when the second bell rang and he glanced over at the Slytherins making their way up to Charms. “I’ll see you after lunch before the game, okay?” Minho nodded and Kibum ran off, catching up to Analecia before she started to climb the stairs.

Once Kibum was out of sight, Minho trudged back downstairs. It was Friday, which unfortunately meant that there was no Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He followed some of the other Hufflepuffs as they returned to the common room, and he quickly exchanged the books in his backpack before he went back upstairs and headed outside.

Birds were singing and chirping as Minho meandered through the greenhouses. The sky was bright, blue, and clear – not a cloud in sight. Good news for the game later this afternoon. He plopped his backpack in the dirt by Greenhouse 3 and crossed his legs as he sat.

There was a nice, cool breeze sweeping through the gardens, tousling Minho’s hair. He leaned back against one of the walls as he started to pull weeds, making a little pile beside his knee. As time passed, other students – Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors alike – soon started to cluster in the garden as they waited for their Herbology lesson.

Three pairs of shoes appeared on the cobblestone path in Minho’s line of sight, and he sighed as they sat down.

“Hey, buddy,” Damien said, a hint of a smile in his voice. “What’s up?” Minho just shrugged without looking up. Maybe Damien would go away if he didn’t respond. He clapped his hand on Minho’s shoulder. “Good luck on the game today. Ravenclaw is a good team.”

Minho glanced up, looking from Nick to Jared and finally to Damien. “Thanks.”

“One thing,” Jared said, his head cocking to the side. “You are aware that, as the Seeker, you’re supposed to catch the Snitch, right?”

“Like, that’s your one job,” Nick said, adding a couple of tiny weeds to Minho’s growing pile.

Taking a deep breath, Minho looked back down at the dirt. “I know.”

The three Gryffindors let out relieved chuckles, Damien patting Minho’s shoulder again. “I wasn’t sure if you understood because like, you haven’t caught one yet, so – “

Minho scooted away, out of Damien’s reach. “No, I know.”

“Okay, good.”

They talked amongst themselves then, their chatter getting louder when a couple of Gryffindor girls sat on either side of them. Minho heaved a heavy sigh and looked around for his dormmates. By the time he spotted them – Travis was trying to climb one of the apple trees while Marvin and Gilbert were pulling him off – Professor Sprout opened the door to Greenhouse 3.

“Come on inside, everyone!”

Minho brushed off the seat of his pants and the dirt off his robe as he hurried inside after the others. Everyone was going to their usual spots, but Minho stopped in his tracks when he found Chelsea in his seat. He usually sat by Amber, Chelsea’s best friend, so it made sense that she would want that spot.

She gave him an apologetic look and he smiled and shook his head. His smile fell, however, when he saw that the only open spot left around the table was between Nick and Damien.

Reluctantly, he hooked his backpack over the back of his chair and sat down.

“Take out your book, and turn to page 420.” There were a couple of giggles far down the table, but they were silenced when Sprout looked up. “We’re revisiting the Venomous Tentacula today and discussing how it can be easily disarmed.” Minho looked up from his textbook when he found the page, making eye contact with Professor Sprout. “Minho, if you would start the reading.” His chair creaked as he stood. “From the third paragraph, please.”

He found his place with a trembling finger. “The…the Tentacula is known for its a…appen…a – ”

“Appendage,” Sprout said, and Minho nodded, flinching when Damien snickered quietly beside him.

“ – appendage-like vines that are used to ensnare their prey.” He cringed at his lisp, willing it to disappear for until at least he was finished with this passage. “The thorns that cover the vines are filled with a…le…lethal venom that even the slightest prick can prove fatal within minutes, if not properly tended to.”

He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves before he continued. “Beware of coming too close to the Tentacula. Even if you don’t come close enough for the vines to latch onto you, the Tenacula is able to spray its venom from its shoots – “

“Thooths,” Nick whispered, and Damien snorted.

“Quiet,” Sprout said, her voice stern. Minho’s heart settled into his churning stomach when she said, “Continue, please, Minho.”

“ – from its…shoots…with a varying range. The, uh, the largest known Tentacula plant was three meters tall and had a five-meter reach with its longest vine. It was able to spray venom up to ten meters from its mouth.”

His bottom lip trembled as he tried to blink away the tears blurring the passage. They were just teasing him, he shouldn’t be affected by it. Kibum teased him all the time, after all, but it never made him feel bad about himself.

Minho tried to swallow away the knot in his throat. “Uh, when, uh, defending yourself from the Tentacula, e…especially if one has la…latched onto you, the best approach is to use the, um, the Severing Charm to dis…lodge it from your person.”

He paused, looking up at Sprout to see if she wanted him to stop yet or not. Of course not. “If one has latched onto you, stay completely still and say ‘Diffindo!’ The vine should fall away from the plant and un…unravel itself from you so you can make your escape.”

“Thank you, Minho. Elizabeth, if you’d pick up where Minho left off?”

Sighing, Minho returned to his seat, his eyes closing when Damien leaned forward to talk to Nick as Liz started to read. “You know what’d be helpful?” he whispered, and Nick hummed in question. “If Hogwarts had some sort of speech therapy.” Minho gulped, his gaze fixed on the illustration of the Venomous Tentacula. “I’ve heard its helpful to some people.”

“True.”

His parents had considered taking him to a speech therapist, specifically for his lisp, back in Korea. In the end, they decided it wasn’t worth the money, because it was sort of cute sometimes, according to his mother.

The rest of the lesson went by without Minho’s participation, or attention. Instead, he stared blankly at the page, turning it whenever he heard the others start to flip through their books. Herbology ended not soon enough, and Minho was out the door before anyone could stop him.

There was no History class today, because of the game after lunch, so everyone was on their way to the early lunch period. The indistinct chatter in the halls grated against his already frayed nerves, so Minho ducked into the stairwell and hurried back to his dorm room. Hopefully, he could find even the slightest bit of peace before the game.

* * * * * * * * * *

In the Great Hall, Minho was nowhere to be seen. Even when the Quidditch team got up to go down to the pitch, Kibum couldn’t find Minho amongst them.

“Hey, have you guys seen Minho?” Kibum asked, looking across the table at Aaron and Analecia.

“Nope.”

“Anyways,” Callum said, clearing his throat, “like I was saying, that’s why I think the Ministry is connected to the Illuminati.”

“Interesting,” Aaron said, humming in thought. Analecia scoffed, and Kibum grabbed the other half of his sandwich, eating it slowly while he watched for any sort of sign of Minho on the other side of the Great Hall.

Once he was finished with his lunch, most of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were already on their way down to the game. He wiped this mouth free of crumbs with his sleeve and stood, heading to the door without waiting for the others to join him.

Once he reached the arena, he stopped by the Hufflepuff hallways, listening for the telltale music. It was faint, but there. They must be getting ready to go out to the pitch. Kibum jogged over to the stairwell leading up to the stands and took the steps two at a time, finding his and Minho’s usual spot free. Callum and Aaron joined him as the teams took to the field.

“Ready for this?” Aaron asked, his voice quiet against the loud cheering of the Hufflepuffs beside them.

“No.”

Hufflepuff had not won once this year. During the game against Slytherin, Christine, the Seeker, had found and caught the Snitch within the first minute of the game. Neither team had been able to even score. Minho refused to talk about Quidditch now, and he tended to flinch whenever someone brought it up around him. Kibum kept trying to tell him that their losing streak wasn’t his fault, but...

Just this morning after their Charms lesson, Kibum overheard a couple of the Ravenclaws saying that they had basically already won the game already since they were playing against Hufflepuff and their weak Seeker. Analecia had to physically drag him away from them before he did something he would regret.

Well, maybe not regret, but something he would get detention for.

Kibum was out of his seat when the players from both teams took to the air -- one hand cupped around his mouth as he cheered and the other waving at Minho. He couldn’t be sure, because of the distance, but it looked like Minho didn’t even glance his way. He stepped around his fellow students as he made his way to the banister.

“Go go, Choi Minho!” he yelled, both in English and then in Korean. Minho looked his way then, and Kibum waved, his smile falling when he didn’t return it.

Once the whistle blew, the game began.

One of the Ravenclaw Chasers caught straight away, but Kibum turned his attention away from the play and to Minho, who sat perched high above everyone else. Kibum held his hand up, shielding his eyes from the sun. His breath caught when Minho started to freefall -- or so it seemed -- but he was only getting out of the way of the Hufflepuff Beaters.

When the play moved away from him, he shot back up into the sky, this time flying around, no doubt scanning every centimeter for a flash of gold.

“You’ve got this, Choi,” he said under his breath.

Minho’s head twitched to look his way, and he started to dive toward the shared Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands. Kibum’s eyes widened when he came to an abrupt stop several meters away. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and shook his head, looking back out toward the pitch. Did he think he saw the Snitch? Kibum leaned over the banister and saw a golden streamer caught on one of the beams, the wind tossing it back and forth.

“Go, go, Choi Minho!” Kibum cheered, grinning when Minho glanced his way. He offered Kibum a small smile before returning his attention to the game.

A rousing cry erupted from the other side of the pitch, and Kibum looked up at the announcer’s stand when it was declared that Ravenclaw took the lead. He looked back up at Minho, who squared his shoulders. Kibum tensed as he darted away, swooping around the pitch to the opposite goal posts.

He stopped mid-flight when the Ravenclaw Seeker started to dive, and he followed her into the middle of the play. There it was, the slightest glimmer of gold flitting about the other players. Minho was closer to the Snitch than she was, maybe this would be it? Maybe he’d catch it? Maybe --

No...

It all happened so fast.

Minho was secure on his broom and then Kibum blinked. When he opened his eyes, Minho was falling to the grass below. Kibum’s breath caught and he froze as Madam Hooch ran out onto the field, her wand extended, slowing Minho’s fall.

The play stopped, and who Kibum assumed to be the Hufflepuff captain bolted over to catch him and lay him gently on the ground.

“I have to get down there...” Kibum turned to leave, but he was pressed in by the other students curious to see what happened. “Move!” He yelled, startling the group of girls behind him. “I have to go!”

Kibum pushed his way through the crowd and ran down the steps and to the Hufflepuff tunnel. His footsteps were loud in the empty hallway, and he stopped at the door, watching the mass of players on the pitch. Was he even allowed to go out there?

He stepped out of the way of two of the Hufflepuff players who were heading for the locker room. “Is he okay?” Kibum asked, his voice strained, as they ducked inside. They both reappeared, one of them carrying a small chest. “What happened?” The one with the chest ran back outside, ignoring Kibum, and the other stopped beside him.

“Quaffle...hit his head...” she said between breaths, patting Kibum’s back. “He’ll be...okay...don’t worry.”

Tears started welling up in Kibum’s eyes. “Can I see him?”

She took a deep breath. “Stay here. We’re gonna bring him in here to wait for Madam Pomfrey, okay?”

“O-o-okay.”

She patted his back again before she darted off toward the castle. Kibum sniffed and turned around to watch the slow progression of the Hufflepuff players across the pitch. He sniffed again, rubbing the tears from his eyes, and fidgeted with the sleeve of his robe while he waited. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the hall and Kibum moved out of their way.

Minho was slumped against the captain of the team, who was guiding him and the rest of the team to the locker room. “Good, Kibum, you’re here,” he said as he passed. “Follow me.” Kibum trailed after the team, darting around them to stand at the captain’s side.

He had been placed on one of the many benches, his head leaning up against the wall. His eyes were half-closed, and he stared blankly at people in front of him. Kibum sat beside him on the bench, his arm instinctively wrapping around Minho’s waist to hold him steady. There was a bruise already purpling on his left temple. The captain said something, but Kibum hadn’t been focusing on him at all. He looked up when the captain tapped his shoulder.

“Can you watch over him for a minute? Make sure he doesn’t fall asleep or -- yes?” The captain turned when his name was called by someone -- Kibum wasn’t sure nor did he care who it was -- at the door.

“You’re okay, Min...You’re gonna be okay, alright?”

“Al...right,” he said, his whisper slightly slurred.

Kibum’s bottom lip trembled as he rubbed Minho’s side. “You were doing really good out there today.” Minho huffed and Kibum looked up, expecting a change in expression. Nope, still blank. “I know you won’t believe me but it’s true. You -- “

His thought was cut off by the appearance of Madam Pomfrey as she bustled into the locker room. Kibum sat as still as possible as she bent over Minho, inspecting his temple. The entire team crowded around behind her until she turned, the steel in her eyes chilling the blood in Kibum’s veins. They backed off then, and she held open Minho’s eyes one by one as she held her lit wand before them.

“Looks like a simple concussion,” she said after she finished her many little tests. “Tanner, if you’d help me get him back to the infirmary, I’d appreciate it." The captain nodded and moved to help Minho up off the bench. “Everyone else, stay here. We don’t want to overstimulate him.” The rest of the team stayed behind while Tanner and Minho followed Madam Pomfrey out of the locker room. 

Kibum watched the door long after they disappeared from the doorway, his stomach churning. The team changed out of their uniforms and cleaned the locker room up after themselves. Once they were finished, they crowded by the door and looked back at Kibum, who still had not moved. The girl from earlier nodded to the others, sending them on their way, and moved back into the room.

She took a seat on the bench opposite of Kibum. “So, you’re _the_ Kibum, huh?”

“The?”

“Minho talks about you a lot.” Kibum took a deep breath in an attempt to stem the oncoming tears. “He’s gonna be okay, you know? Pomfrey knows what the fuck she’s doing, I wouldn’t worry too much, hon.” He nodded slowly, and she gave him a small smile. “I know saying that doesn’t really help you right now, but it’s true.”

“Okay,” he said, his voice watery.

“I’ve gotten hurt a bunch like that during practice and games, and she’s always fixed me right up. “

“Really?”

“Absolutely.” She glanced at the door before looking back at Kibum. “Wanna head back? We’ll be able to hear if he’s doing better soon.” Kibum gulped and shot off the bench. He had to hold himself back from running across the lawn.

The rest of the day both dragged on and flew by. He didn’t get word about Minho’s condition until Herbology, when Tanner came in to tell him that Minho was fine and that he could see him at dinner. Kibum had been distracting himself with extremely diligent note-taking until that moment, but after that, he couldn’t concentrate on a word anyone was saying. He just wanted to leave.

When dinner finally came, Minho was, once again, nowhere to be found. Unlike lunch, however, Kibum didn’t wait until the end of the meal to find out where he was. He was up and out of his seat, hurrying to the other end of the Great Hall to where Tanner was sitting. When he said he didn’t know where Minho was, Kibum ran to the infirmary, finding it empty, except for Madam Pomfrey, who was remaking a bed. She said that Minho was fine and that she had sent him on his way about an hour ago.

Kibum ran all the up the six flights of steps to the seventh floor, the study closet door appearing even though Minho wasn’t with him. He opened it, frowning. Dark and empty.

Where was Minho?

He took a couple of deep breaths before he ran back down the stairs to the basement, sliding to a stop in front of the Hufflepuff barrels. “Is he in there?” he asked when Gilbert came through the entrance. Gilbert just shook his head and Kibum frowned, looking down the hall.

Where the hell was Minho?

It hit him as he started trudging back to Slytherin. He couldn’t...not the Quidditch pitch...he would know better than that, right?

Groaning, Kibum went back up the stairs and crept down the darkened hallway, sneaking out of the castle. The sun was setting now, dusk was upon them, setting the sky ablaze with brilliant oranges and pinks. Ordinarily, he might have stopped to admire the sunset, but at the moment, he just really didn’t care.

As he walked down the hall, he heard faint sort-of grunts coming from the pitch. All his worry and stress that had been accumulating within him all day now manifested in a burst of anger. Kibum’s hands balled tightly at his sides as he stepped through the doorway, looking up to find Minho tossing walnuts for himself to catch. It took a moment for him to notice Kibum, and when he did, his shoulders fell for a second before he tossed another golden walnut.

Once he caught it, he slowly flew down to where Kibum was. He offered Kibum a sheepish smile once he landed, and he pocketed the walnuts in his robe. “Hey, how ar -- hey!”

Kibum had snatched the broom out of Minho’s hand and held it out of his reach as he stumbled forward. “I can’t believe you...”

“Give it back!”

“No!”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Open up.”

Minho blinked slowly, cringing at the pale sunlight. His head throbbed, and he squinted up at Madam Pomfrey. Between her fingers, she held a thin strip of something green. “What...what i...s that?”

“Aereveli leaf. It’ll help with your headache.”

“Oh.” Minho slowly opened his mouth, and Pomfrey lifted his tongue with a gloved finger and placed the leaf underneath. It had...a sort of citrus and minty taste to it. It was faint, but there.

“You got a concussion during the game. You’ll have a bad headache for a few days, but it should go away in about a week or so.” Minho barely nodded before he froze, pain spiking from his neck to his temple. “You’re going to need to take it easy for the next few days. No Quidditch.” He whined. “No. Quidditch. Until I say so, alright?”

“Okay.”

“I also want you to come see me again before you go to bed tonight, as well as in the morning to see how you’re doing.”

A chill ran over him, tingling up his spine and into his neck and spreading into his head. It, thankfully, soothed the pain. Tentatively, Minho opened his eyes, surprised to find that the sunlight no longer hurt his eyes. Wait...he blinked and widened his eyes before he let them go back to normal. Was one of his eyelids drooping? Minho reached up to hold his left eyelid open.

“That’s a common side effect of concussions. It’s possible that your eyelid will return to normal, but it might not.”

“Oh.”

“Is he okay?” Both Minho and Madam Pomfrey looked over to the door to find Jennie Davies, one of Ravenclaw’s Chasers, standing just inside the infirmary. Pomfrey waved her inside and she came up to the foot of Minho’s bed, her hands wringing together before her. “I’m so sorry, Minho. I didn’t mean to hit your head, I just didn’t see you coming, I’m really sorry.”

He shook his head slowly, offering her a small smile. “It’s okay.” It was his fault, really. He shouldn’t have dove into the play. Why was he so stupid? He was too focused on the Snitch, he didn’t even notice his surroundings. “Who won?”

Jennie blinked, glancing over at Madam Pomfrey, who was rummaging around in one of her the cabinets, before returning her attention to Minho. “Uh, Hufflepuff forfeited.” His heart sank and he sighed. “We don’t, um, really consider it a win though, if that makes you feel better.” Minho tried to smile but he wasn’t sure if he pulled it off. Probably not.

Pomfrey returned with a little red velvet bag, and Jennie started to back away. “I’m glad you’re doing okay now. See you later, Minho!” He waved as she walked away.

“There are a couple extra leaves in here, in case the pain returns and you can’t get here soon enough.” She passed him the bag, and he shook it a little. “You’re free to go now, Minho, but don’t forget to come back in before you go to bed.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He slipped out of bed, leaning against the bedpost when a flurry of stars blew across his vision. Once they cleared, he shuffled out of the infirmary and into the hall.

What time was it? Minho traipsed to the courtyard below the clock tower, his hand tracing the wall as he walked.

There was a chill in the air when he stepped outside, and Minho shivered as he walked outside. He cupped his hand over his eyes as he looked up, trying to decipher the placement of the hands of the clock. Like usual, he had no idea what they said. Turning, Minho looked up at the sun, guessing that it was about time for dinner.

Was he hungry? Minho rubbed his stomach. He hadn’t eaten anything today if he remembered right, so he probably needed to. But, he still wasn’t hungry. Besides, he didn’t really want to show his face in the Great Hall quite yet.

He meandered through the courtyard, stopping at one of the banisters overlooking the lawn, and his gaze settled on the Quidditch pitch.

It really wasn’t a hard concept. Catch the Snitch...just, catch it...why couldn’t he do that? Had he not practiced enough? Was there really any point to him continuing if he was going to keep making his team lose?

Minho pulled himself over the banister and slowly dropped down on the other side, squinting when the bright flashes of lights returned behind his eyes. Once they cleared, he started toward the pitch. He slipped into the locker room and grabbed his practice walnuts before he went out to grab his broom from the cupboard.

It was slow going at first, practicing. He had trouble focusing on the walnuts; he kept dropping them. Eventually, though, by the time the sun started to set, Minho found his stride. He lost it, however, when he noticed Kibum standing in the doorway of the Hufflepuff corridor.

“Crap.”

He looked angry, or upset, rather. Minho threw one last walnut and zoomed away, catching it. Looking back, he found Kibum among the shadows and made toward him, his flight sort of unsteady. He leaned on his broom when he was safely on the ground, and he smiled at Kibum as he stuffed the walnuts into his robe pocket.

“Hey, how ar -- “ Kibum grabbed the broom out of Minho’s hand. “Hey!”

He just shook his head, holding it behind him when Minho reached for it. “I can’t believe you...”

“Give it back!”

“No!”

Minho huffed, crossing his arms when Kibum raised his chin. “I have to practice.”

“No, you got hurt. You need to rest.”

“Kibummie -- “

“Don’t...” Kibum closed his eyes, sighing. “Why are you out here?”

“I told you, I have to practice...so...so I can get good.”

Kibum tossed the broom aside, Minho making a sort of choked sound when it hit the ground. He sat, crossing his arms over his knees before he looked up at Minho. “Why do you beat yourself up so much?”

Blinking, Minho averted his eyes. “I...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Minho, I have literally seen you hit yourself. Several times.” His jaw twitched and his fists clenched at his side. “You didn’t do that today, did you?” Minho shook his head. “Good.” He shifted his feet and froze when his head started to throb again. His hand shook as he dug into his pocket for the bag of aereveli leaves, pulling one out and placing it under his tongue.

Kibum patted the grass beside him and took a deep breath as Minho sat down. “What’s really going on?”

He shrugged, shaking his head. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” Kibum looked over at him, waiting for him to respond.

Minho propped his elbows on his knees and held his face in his hands, audibly wincing when his finger dug into his bruised temple. He took a deep breath, waiting for the aereveli leaf to take effect. Kibum started rubbing his back as the chill returned, eradicating his headache somewhat.

“It -- “ he started to say, his voice cracking a little. How should he put this? “I -- “ his voice morphed into a pained groan when as his head continued to throb.

“Hey, hey,” Kibum said, and Minho could hear him shifting beside him. “Lay down for a minute and rest.” Minho opened one eye when he heard a patting sound to see Kibum’s legs stretched out before him and his hand patting his lap. Slowly, Minho turned and laid down, his head resting on Kibum’s thigh. He started carding his fingers through Minho’s hair, applying the slightest bit of pressure to his scalp.

It felt...really nice, actually.

“My dad used to do this for my mom when she would get migraines,” Kibum said as his fingers spread over the crown of his head. “I hope it helps.”

“I think it might be already.”

“Mm.”

Minho listened to the chirps of the crickets while he sorted through his thoughts. Everything within him hated to lose, and yet, he kept losing. Again and again and again. What would his father even say, if he could see him now? “I told you so”? “You were never meant for this”? “Minseok would be better suited for this”?

He sighed heavily, and Kibum stopped his ministrations for a second. “What’s wrong?” he asked once he started massaging again.

“What’s the point of playing a game if you’re just gonna lose?”

“Hmm...for the enjoyment? The exercise? The thrill of the game?”

Minho tipped his head back slightly, looking up at a smirking Kibum. “I said that.” He did say that to Kibum a little over a year ago, almost word for word, when they were walking back to the castle after a Quidditch game. Kibum had asked why someone would even want to play Quidditch, and Minho had laughed.

“You did.” Minho looked back at the sky, watching the stars twinkle into their places in the darkening sky. “Someone has to be the loser, Choi, and sometimes that person has to be you. It absolutely sucks, but that’ll make the win all the sweeter.”

“I’ve made us lose every game so far though. I’m just not good enough.”

“Did Tanner say that?”

Minho sighed. “No.”

“Your teammates?”

“They’re probably all thinking it.”

Kibum scoffed. “If they are, then they’re wrong.” He ruffled Minho’s hair lightly. “You ready to go back to the infirmary?”

“She said I didn’t have to come back until morning." Wait, no...he was supposed to come see her before bed. How did he forget that?

“She also probably said no to Quidditch.” Oh...right. When Minho didn’t respond right away, Kibum stopped rubbing his head. “Come on, let’s get you up.”

Stars flooded his vision once again as he sat up, his stomach churning something fierce. He stopped midway to sitting straight up, and Kibum’s hand pressed against his back as he stood, holding him steady until he could help Minho off the ground. Kibum pulled his arm over his shoulders, holding onto his wrist.

“You okay to start walking?”

Minho could feel himself swaying a little, as well as Kibum’s grip tightening on his wrist. Once the white sparks disappeared from his vision, he stepped forward and Kibum followed. Their progress back to the castle was slow -- night had completely set in by the time they stepped inside. When they got to the infirmary, Minho expected Kibum to drop him off on one of the beds and go.

Instead, he pulled back the covers for him and helped him sit on the bed. “Stay here for a minute, okay?” Kibum left his side and went over to the closed door of the apartment within the infirmary, his staccato knocks loud in the quiet room. “Is it alright if Minho and I stay here tonight?” he asked when the door swung open to reveal Madam Pomfrey.

“Did something happen?”

“Well, he was practicing Quidditch,” Minho winced when Pomfrey gasped, but Kibum continued. “And that won’t happen again until you say it’s okay, I guarantee you. But, he’s still got a bit of a headache, and I’m worried about him.”

“Is that why you want to stay as well?”

“Yes, ma’am, for my own peace of mind.”

Neither said anything for a moment, and Minho wanted to turn around to see what was happening, but he also didn’t trust his stomach. “Take these,” Pomfrey said, and Minho perked up. “I’ll be just in here if something happens, so please come get me if he vomits or has a seizure.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The door clicked closed and soon Kibum was back in front of him with an armful of striped pajamas. “Do you want me to help with your boots?”

Minho looked down at himself, somewhat surprised to find himself still in his Quidditch uniform. But then again, why wouldn’t he be? “Sure.” He could manage the rest, probably, but he didn’t think he would have been able to take off his boots.

Kibum dropped the pajamas beside Minho and knelt before him, working on unlacing the boots. Minho had unbuttoned his robe by the time Kibum finished. It took some effort and Kibum’s help to get him the rest of the way out of his uniform and into the pajamas, but soon he was tucked in bed and Kibum was changing himself. Minho closed his eyes, to give Kibum a little bit of privacy while he changed, and opened them again when he thought he heard him slipping into bed.

“Are you okay?” Kibum asked when Minho met his eyes.

What did he ever do to deserve Kibum? He was always so kind and gentle and supportive. He never made him feel like he was stupid or that he didn’t belong here. Whenever Kibum was around, he could almost feel his soul become at peace, because there was no pretense with him.

He was just his best friend...just Kibum.

He wanted to thank him for everything he had done for him, both today and since the moment they met on the train to school, but the words escaped him now. Kibum’s brow scrunched in concern when Minho started to speak and then didn’t.

“Minho?”

“Yeah,” he said, and Kibum relaxed. “I’ll be fine.”

* * * * * * * * * *

A twig cracked beneath Kibum’s foot and he stopped, glancing around at the menacing shadows. The Forbidden Forest was dark, even for midday. It might have just been his imagination, but earlier he definitely heard a growl somewhere deep in the forest. He listened for one now, but there was only the distant sound of snapping jaws…or mandibles…he had not forgotten the warning about there being giant spiders in these woods.

Shuddering, Kibum hugged himself, looking back in the direction he came. “Minho?” he said in a whispered yell, hoping that his voice would carry through the forest. 

“Yeah?”

“Where are you?” 

“Back here!” For some reason, Minho sounded exasperated. “How are you running so fast in this wind?”

“Wind?” Kibum muttered to himself. There was no wind; the forest was eerily still. Tentatively, he started trudging back to where he thought he had heard Minho’s voice. He found him quickly, bracing himself against a tree while his hair and robes whipped wildly about, as though he were caught in a terrible gust of wind.

Their eyes met, and Minho’s widened. “You don’t feel it?” he yelled, his voice echoing through the forest. Kibum shook his head, and Minho tried to push himself up off the tree, only to get slammed back against it. He gulped, looking back at Kibum. “Something’s wrong…”

Kibum awoke to the sound of a squeaky mattress. Fredrick was probably moving in his sleep again. He opened his eyes, confusion furrowing his brow. The infirmary…

He sat up, looking across the way to see Minho convulsing in his bed. Instantly he bolted out of bed and to Minho’s side, his hands hovering over his arms. One of Minho’s eyes was partially open, but he could only see the white of his eye. Before he could even decide if he should hold him down or not, Minho stilled, his head sinking into his pillow.

“Minho?” he whispered past the lump in his throat.

Drool dripped down his chin, soaking into his pillow. His breathing faltered and his left eye twitched as his body seized up. Was it happening again? He needed to get Madam Pomfrey…wake her up…have her help Minho because she would know what to do. 

But, Kibum couldn’t move, couldn’t leave him alone. Not like this.

The mattress started squeaking again as Minho convulsed once more, his teeth gnashing as his head whipped back and forth and his arms and shoulder and legs repeatedly twitched. Before he could make himself run for Madam Pomfrey, she was there, stepping between Minho and Kibum. 

She was still in her nightgown, and her hair was out of its usual bun, a wavy silver cascade down her back. At any other time, he would have thought it odd to see her like this, instead of her normal nurse’s uniform. But, at the moment he was just relieved. 

He staggered back to his bed and sat on the edge, watching her through tear-pricked eyes as she sat Minho up once he stopped convulsing. She rested Minho’s head on her shoulder. “Kibum.” The sound of her stern voice in the infirmary was jarring. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he rushed to her. “Get me one of the buckets from the shelf behind the partition.” 

Kibum bolted over to the ivory curtain and grabbed one of the small tin buckets. He hurried to pass it to her, just in time, too, because Minho started dry heaving. Gulping, Kibum tried to block out the sound, but he eventually had to leave the infirmary so he did not vomit himself. 

He didn’t go far. The sound of retching was still faint, but not as bad as it would be if he were still in the room. Kibum sank to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest as he waited. 

Tears sprang to his eyes, and he let them fall. He felt so…helpless. He had when Minho fell off his broom, and he had for the rest of the day, up until he finally saw him again. But now, he was hit with a fresh wave of helplessness. His sniffles were loud in the empty corridor, and he glanced around at the darkness, freezing when he saw several curious ghosts shimmering in the distance.

“Kibum,” Madam Pomfrey’s voice broke him of his trance. “He’s okay now, you ca – “

He was already on his feet and running back to the infirmary. Minho gave him a tired smile and relief flooded through him. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice quiet.

“Yeah, I’m just tired.” 

“Go ahead and sit on his bed, Kibum, “ Pomfrey said as she passed behind him on her way to her room. “We’re all staying up for a little bit.”

Kibum went around to the right side of his bed and sat beside him when Minho carefully scooted over. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Minho started to nod but thought better of it. “Yeah. She said I had a seizure, but I don’t remember it.”

“Two.”

“Hmm?”

“You had two.”

Minho sank back into his pillow with a wince. His body must be aching now, after all that. “That’s probably why I’m so tired, huh.” Kibum nodded, and Madam Pomfrey came back into the infirmary, a stack of cards in her hand.

“Have either of you ever played Go Fish?” she asked as she sat down on Minho’s bed as well. Kibum shook his head as Minho hummed in affirmation. “It’s pretty straight-forward. You’re supposed to collect one of the same card from each suit.” She shuffled them one, twice on her knee before she dealt seven cards to each of them. 

It was a pretty simple game, Kibum found himself getting the hang of it by the end of their second game. Minho struggled at first, too. He seemed confused by the game, despite saying that he had played it before. Pomfrey talked them both through it, her voice gentler than Kibum ever remembered it being.

Midway through their fifth hand, Minho slumped against Kibum, his head resting on his shoulder. Kibum hid his cards immediately, then glanced down at him. “Are you okay?”

“I…just really tired.”

“What did he say?” Pomfrey asked, the concern in her voice tearing Kibum’s attention away from Minho for a moment.

“That he’s really tired.” Oh…Kibum blinked, looking between Minho and Madam Pomfrey. Had he not been speaking English since his injury? No, he had…maybe a word or two, but he hadn’t since his seizure. “Can he not speak English anymore?”

Pomfrey’s brows rose in surprise, and she shook her head. “No, don’t worry! It’s fairly common for someone to revert back to their original language after a head injury. I’m sure he’ll be alright. It’ll just take some time and patience.”

“I can help him.”

She gave Kibum a small smile. “I’m sure you can.” Minho nestled his head on Kibum’s shoulder, and they both watched him for a moment. “Let’s get him laying down again. That’ll be better for his head.” 

Kibum supported his head as Pomfrey lowered him onto the bed, and then he fussed with the blanket while she went to go grab a rocking chair and her yarn. He pushed Minho’s hair off his forehead, his heart clenching as he inspected the garish violet bruise stretching from his temple and down his cheek.

“You can go ahead and go to sleep again, Kibum. I’ll watch over him.”

Reluctantly, Kibum left Minho’s side and trudged back to his bed. Once he slipped back under the covers, he arranged himself so that he could still see Minho whenever she would rock forward in her chair. All was silent for several moments, other than the creak of the rocking chair, the clacking of the knitting needles, and Minho’s steady breathing. 

Kibum’s own eyes grew heavy, but he fought to stay awake. He had to. What if Minho needed him again? 

The night stretched on, and Kibum roused himself when he dozed off for a few seconds. He glanced over at the windows lining the far wall and noticed the dark blue of night starting to lighten. It was probably five in the morning. He looked back at Minho, who hadn’t so much as moved since they laid him down to sleep. 

His eyes slid shut as he remembered that it was Saturday, which meant that there were no classes today. They could both rest to their hearts’ content. The thought relieved him and he smiled, finally letting sleep take him.


	18. Special Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ugh...”
> 
> Minho glanced away from _The Standard Book of Spells_ to look at Kibum for a second. He was digging around in Grandma’s latest care package, and Minho turned the page when he sighed again. “Something wrong?”
> 
> Kibum pulled out a pumpkin pastie with a frown, and Minho instantly frowned in return. “It’s the last one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry about the long unexpected wait. life got crazy and I haven't had the focus to be able to sit down and work on this until just a couple of days ago. I want to thank you for your patience and your continued support of this story! <3

“Ugh...”

Minho glanced away from _The Standard Book of Spells_  to look at Kibum for a second. He was digging around in Grandma’s latest care package, and Minho turned the page when he sighed again. “Something wrong?”

Kibum pulled out a pumpkin pastie with a frown, and Minho instantly frowned in return. “It’s the last one.”

He leaned back against the wall of the closet, the tiny flames from the candles on the shelves wavering. Another long sigh and he split it in half, holding one part out to Minho. Reluctantly, Minho took it and Kibum licked the cinnamon glaze off his fingers before he started to eat his.

“Okay, so you said you were having problems with the spell today?”

Minho’s shoulders sunk and he flipped back a couple pages in his textbook. “Yeah, with the pronunciation.” He clenched his jaw when he found _Alohomora_ on the page. They learned this last year, so why was he still having problems with it?

“S’okay,” Kibum said around his mouthful of pumpkin pastie. “Latin is hard.” Minho let out a huff of a laugh, and Kibum chuckled as he finished his half of the pastry. “So, Flitwick was explaining more about the history of Alohomora and its uses today. I was taking good notes if you weren’t able to follow it?”

“I’ve been doing better with Charms lately.”

Kibum beamed at him before he brought Minho’s textbook over between them. “Do you remember the wand movements?” Minho nodded and Kibum gestured to his backpack.

After a catastrophic ink spill last year, they both decided to not use quills when they were up in their study closet. Mom had bought him two packs of pens when they went shopping for school supplies, and now, that’s all they used. Kibum clicked the pen several times as he brought Minho’s textbook fully onto his lap. “Uh-low-huh-mor-uh,” he said slowly as he wrote out each syllable, passing the book back to Minho.

Minho squinted at the pronunciation guide. “A...loho...mora.”

“Yeah, you’ve got it! Do it again.”

“A-alohomora. Alohomora!”

“See? You remember it!” Minho stared at the pronunciation guide, hiding his small smile. “Were you able to follow when O’Neely was talking about yetis?”

“Mostly.”

“Hmm...okay.” Kibum turned, shuffling through his textbooks for his notes.

They studied for quite a while until Minho was struggling to keep his eyes open and Kibum was yawning more often than he was speaking. Eventually, they started to pack up their books and straighten up the little study closet. When Kibum scooted forward to grab one of his parchment scraps, Minho glanced over at the box Grandma had sent.

Was that her address written on the wrapping?

While he knew Kibum’s address, Minho still didn’t have it memorized. Plus, the polaroid with it written on the back was back home and hiding under his pillow. Kibum was still leaning forward, arranging his books in his arms, so Minho slipped behind him and grabbed the empty care package. He tucked it away in his backpack before Kibum even noticed.

Soon, they were on their way from the seventh floor to the basement. They parted ways at the corner, their tired _goodnight_ ’s echoing down the empty corridors.

Once Minho was in his dorm room, he rummaged around beneath his bed for the notebook he used to write letters to his parents.

“You’re writing a letter now?” Gilbert whispered as he crawled under his covers, and Minho nodded. “But it’s almost ligh -- “

Before he could even finish saying _lights out_ , the lanterns posted around the room dimmed, their flames soaking back into their wicks. Minho felt around his nightstand for his wand, and once he found it, said _Lumos_ before he ducked under his own covers to block the light so the others could sleep. He popped his wand sideways into his mouth, holding it there so he could have both his hands free.

After a couple of clicks of his pen, he started to write.

> _Dear Grandma,_
> 
> _Hi! It’s just Minho this time. I hope you’re having a nice day when you get this letter. The reason I’m writing is because I was wondering if you could send me your recipe for pumpkin pasties? They’re the best and I love them but Kibum loves them more. We ran out today and he was sad and I was thinking that it would be nice if I could learn how to make them because they make him really happy and some days are hard here at Hogwarts and you might not know about it right away and anyways I think he’d really like them. If you don’t want to share the recipe that’s okay I understand. Thanks and I love you!_
> 
> _Minho_
> 
> _P.S. This is a secret so please don’t tell Kibu_ m

He took his wand out of his mouth and tapped it on his chin as he re-read the letter. “Sounds good to me.” Carefully, he tore the page out of the notebook and folded it into thirds. “Nox,” he said before he pulled the covers back, and set the letter and his wand on the nightstand.

“Night,” Gilbert whispered.

“Good night.” Minho curled in and nestled his head in his pillow. He stared at the silvery moonbeam cutting through the darkness until his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke quickly -- well, quicker than usual -- and was to and back from the owlery before breakfast started. His letter was well on its way to Grandma in the talons of Geum-nun. Hopefully, it would reach her by tomorrow.

Each day, when the owls would arrive, Minho would carefully watch for the arrival of his charcoal owl, but day after day after day, she didn’t appear.

Not until five days later.

A thick brown envelope plopped onto his plate of eggs and toast, and Minho thanked Geum-nun before she flew away. He tore into the letter, and skimmed the contents.

> _Dearest Minho,_
> 
> _You don’t know how happy I was to receive your letter! I am having a good day and your letter made it better still. I hope when Geum-nun returns that your day is also going well._
> 
> _As for the recipe, of course I am happy to share. It’s sort of a family secret, but I think I can make an exception for you. Just be sure to read the instructions carefully! And if you need any help, don’t be afraid to write me. Or, you could even ask one of the kitchen elves. They’re very good at their job._
> 
> _Good luck, my love! I’m sure you’ll do well with them._
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Grandma_

Minho smiled as he peeked into the envelope, seeing the card with the recipe.

“Is that from your parents?”

He jumped at the sound of Kibum’s voice and shoved the letter and envelope into his pocket. “What?”

Kibum’s brow furrowed as he chuckled. “The letter. Did your parents write to you?”

“Yes, uh...Minseok got first place at the science fair.”

Kibum squinted at him, his eyes darting down to his pocket for a second. “Ready to head to Transfiguration?”

“Yeah.”

Grandma’s letter and recipe seemed to burn a hole in Minho’s pocket during Transfiguration. All he wanted to do was pull it out and read it, but with Kibum right there...

He waited until Kibum disappeared behind the stairwell on his way up to Charms to pull the parchment out. As he skimmed the recipe, the furrow in his brow deepened.

This was going to be harder than he thought. Hopefully, Sookey would help him.

The rest of the day followed his usual routine -- class then lunch then classes again then practice with the team (even though the season was over, Tanner still wanted to keep their skills fresh in their minds) and finally going over today’s lessons with Kibum. Once they said their goodnights and Kibum was well on his way down the Slytherin corridor, Minho ducked down the hallway to the kitchen and let himself inside.

It was always eerie to be in the kitchen alone. Minho didn’t visit the kitchen often, and when he did there was usually a house elf or two to keep him company and point him in the right direction.

Out of all the Houses at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff had the unique right to enter the kitchen whenever they wished. When Rhys explained it last year, he mentioned an agreement between Helga Hufflepuff and the house elves that her students would always be allowed access, unless they disobeyed the house elves instructions. Her reasoning was that cooking was an important skill to have and that they should have the resources to do so. There were conditions, of course. The first was that they were to respect the rules of the house elves and help them if asked, and the second was to always clean up after themselves.

Many a Hufflepuff in Minho’s almost-two years at Hogwarts would go on a midnight snack run. Several would even sit at one of the magic tables and work on their homework. As for himself? He usually came to the kitchen to make hot cocoa after a stressful day.

Minho dug into his pocket, fishing out Grandma’s recipe as he walked over to the butcher block countertops. He heaved himself up onto the counter and smoothed the recipe out on his knee as he read through it again. He mumbled his way through the ingredients, pausing when he came to the instructions.

“Rub...the butter...into the flour mixture?” His forehead scrunched. “What does that even mean?” He skimmed the rest of the instructions for the dough and followed the tiny arrow to the margin where Grandma penned an aside.

> _Do be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour, dear. Often times, I will let it rest overnight._

“I guess I can just make the dough tonight?”

He set the recipe down on the counter before he walked over to the pantry. After a second of staring at the myriad ingredients, Minho walked back over to where he left the recipe and grabbed it.

“Flour, salt -- “ He grabbed them both off of the shelves, going up on his tiptoes to reach the can of salt. “Butter...” Minho rearranged the flour and salt in his arms as he reached for the tub of butter in the icebox. He set them down on the counter before he made his way to the sink, getting a cup of cold water.

Mom never really baked at home, and when she did, she never let Minho help. Well, one time she did. He had begged her to let him help with Dad’s birthday cake, but in the end, he had ended up accidentally burning the cake to an absolute crisp.

To say he was nervous about this was an understatement.

But, one thing working in his favor was that Kibum didn’t know. So he wasn’t expecting Minho to produce perfect pumpkin pasties by tomorrow. Or ever. He could take his time if he wanted to.

Which, he did.

Sighing, he started searching for a scale, and found one of the older ones that Professor Slughorn would use sometimes in Potions. At least he was somewhat familiar with that. Cradling the scale in one arm, Minho grabbed as many of the weights as he could hold and went back to where he had the ingredients. He placed a large bowl on one end and leveled it out on the other with the weights.

“Three hundred grams,” he said as he started spooning flour into the bowl. He watched the scale carefully, and once it leveled, he added the next set of weights and weighed out the salt. “Cube the butter?” Frowning, Minho looked around for a knife, but he wasn’t sure where the house elves kept them. Eventually, he shrugged and started tearing the butter into the bowl.

Once the block of butter was distributed, he stirred it around in the flour with his finger. “Rub the butter...” He picked up a chunk between his fingers, rubbing it into the flour. “Maybe?” Putting both hands into the bowl, he started rubbing them together, mixing the flour and the butter until it started coming together. He squeezed a bit in his hand and dropped the clump into the bowl.

“I...think that’s ready?”

> _When adding the water, do it a little bit at a time. You just need enough for the dough to come together. It should stick together but not be sticky._

He took the cup in one hand, stirring the flour mixture with the other as he started to pour the water. It was a slow process, probably slower than it needed to be, but eventually, the dough started -- maybe? -- looking right.

“Cover and chill for at least an hour. Uh...” He looked around for saran wrap, knowing full well that there would not be any at Hogwarts. “What spell did Sookey use?” After about ten minutes of searching, Minho found the spellbook and flipped through it, stopping after a couple of turns.

> _Use Segetenvis when you need to preserve leftovers until another time._

“What are the wand motions?” He scanned the page, finding none. “Swish and flick it is, then.” He grabbed his wand from his back pocket and pointed it at the ball of dough. “Segetenvis!”

A clear, slightly iridescent bubble shot out of his wand tip and enveloped the dough ball. There was a little whistle -- the last of the air escaping, he thought -- as the bubble sealed itself. He picked it up and carried it to the icebox, feeling somewhat proud of himself.

About five minutes later, he had cleaned up his mess and was on his way to his room. Just in time, too, as the lights dimmed as he was sliding into bed. His dormmates muttered their goodnights, and Minho smiled to himself, already imagining Kibum’s reaction to the pumpkin pasties.

“What are you so happy about?” Kibum asked as Minho sat down next to him after breakfast the next morning. He squinted in disbelief when Minho shrugged. “Does a girl like you or something?”

“What?” Minho’s smile faltered, looking over at Kibum. “What are you talking about?”

Kibum went back to his breakfast. “I don’t know. You’re just acting weird.”

“You always say I’m weird, though.” Minho smiled again when Kibum rolled his eyes to look at him. “I’m just happy.”

“That’s good.”

The bell rang, and they were off to Transfiguration.

The day passed by relatively smoothly, even though Minho felt like he might have failed his Potions quiz. At least it wasn’t the final. He hurried to the kitchen once he and Kibum were done studying for the night.

Once again, he found it empty. Minho smoothed his recipe on the countertop closest to the icebox and got right to work -- rolling out the dough as thin as he could. He had to stand up on his tiptoes to be able to roll it out, and his arms and legs were aching by the time he was satisfied.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he went off around the kitchen in search of a pan to bake the pumpkin pasties on. After quite a bit of shuffling and clanging, he found the pans he was looking for. He tucked them under his arm and hurried back to his counter, grabbing a porcelain bowl and a steak knife on his way.

He set the bowl down on the dough, tracing around the lip with the steak knife to make a practically perfect circle. He lifted the bowl, smiling to himself until he tried to lift the circle and transfer it to the pan.

It stuck.

Like, it was glued to the counter. He peeled it up, but it tore in several places. Crumpling up his failed first attempt, he tried again, only to have it happen. Again and again. Frowning, he pulled the recipe closer to him with dough-caked fingers and read it over again.

“Oh...flour first.”

Minho scraped up the dough as best he could, using the back of the blade for the particularly stuck spots. Once he got the flour, he dusted it over the surface and rolled it out again. He lifted the edge to make sure it didn’t stick and heaved a relieved sigh when it didn’t. He cut and transferred the circles to the pan, smoothing the little holes that appeared when he moved them.

“I guess I can make the filling now.”

It took longer than Minho would have liked to find all the ingredients for the filling, as it was dimly lit and the labels of the spices were hard for him to read. Once he had weighed and mixed them all, he plopped heaping spoonfuls on each circle of dough and folded them over, pressing his fingertip along the edge, like the recipe said.

He proudly carried both pans over to the oven, setting one down to open the door. The oven, Minho remembered Sookey mentioning, was cantankerous and was always preheated because the house elves did not have the patience to try to coax it to heat up every morning. He slid both pans into the oven and closed the door.

Instead of going to sit and wait, Minho stood in front of the oven, watching the pasties back through the yellowed glass of the window. The dough puffed up slightly, hopefully turning a nice golden brown.

As they continued to bake, however, his shoulders sunk. He watched the filling leak out through the seam and the cracks in the dough. It bubbled and pooled around the pasties until he was sure there was none left inside.

Minho grabbed the nearest towel and pulled the pans out of the oven, tossing the failed pasties into the nearest trash bin. He cleaned up his mess within ten minutes and was on his way to his room, Grandma’s recipe crumpled in his fist.

It was several days before he tried again.

This time, he told Kibum he wasn’t feeling well and that he couldn’t study that night. Kibum said he wasn’t feeling well either, and it would be good for them to get some extra rest. When Kibum was out of sight, Minho rushed to the kitchen, catching the house elves as they were cleaning up. Sookey waved to him, and he waved right back before he went over to the “Hufflepuff” table. He leaned against the edge while he waited.

There came a series of snaps and pops behind him, and Minho turned to find that Sookey was the only elf who remained, and she was standing on the table. “What can Sookey do for you, sir?”

She sat on the table beside Minho when he pulled out the recipe, she read it through twice, making comments as she did, and teleported back over to the kitchen. Minho jogged over to meet her as she was bringing all the necessary ingredients over to the counter. He rolled up his sleeves and started mixing the flour once she weighed everything. He followed every word she said, feeling much better about the finished dough once it was safe in the icebox.

“Now, while the dough chills, we’ll start on the filling.”

She showed him how to mix the filling thoroughly, which, he was pleased that he had gotten right the first time. While they waited for the dough to be ready, Sookey explained more about the process. Ah, he saw where he went wrong before. He didn’t seal the pasties properly and that’s why the filling leaked everywhere.

When the dough was ready, it didn’t take long for them to get the pasties in the oven and baking. Sookey had directed him to seal and brush them in what was called an egg wash, and they seemed to be browning up nicely. Once Minho could distinctly smell the pumpkin, Sookey directed him to pull the pans out of the oven and let them cool.

“You can finish these off with the glaze tomorrow, sir, once they’re cool.”

“Thank you so much for your help, Sookey. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She smiled as she bowed slightly. “It’s always a pleasure for Sookey to help you, sir.” With that, she winked out of the kitchen with just a flash of light and a quiet snap.

Minho stood still, waiting for her to reappear after a couple of seconds, as she was known to be forgetful. When she didn’t reappear, he hurried to clean up and grabbed a semi-cooled pastie on his way out. He hummed to himself as he ate it, happy that it tasted almost exactly like Grandma’s did.

Kibum would be so pleased.

The next morning, Minho was very distracted at breakfast, as he was constantly checking to see if Kibum had arrived yet. He hadn’t, not even by the end of breakfast, so he found Aaron when they were on their way to Transfiguration and pulled him aside.

“Where’s Kibum?”

“Oh, that’s what I was forgetting!” Aaron slipped inside the classroom and Minho followed on his heels. “Sorry, he’s sick!”

“Sick?” Oh, right, he had mentioned not feeling well last night.

“It’s nothing serious. Just a cold, I think.” Minho sunk into his seat, hugging his backpack before he set it in Kibum’s usual spot. “He’ll be okay.”

“Yeah.”

In between taking diligent notes to share with Kibum later, Minho kept checking the clock on the side of the room and had his books packed up five minutes early. Once the bell rang, he was out the door and running to the kitchen. The house elves all stopped what they were doing as he ran inside. He stuffed as many pasties into his robe pocket as he could and was out the door as quick as he came and was on his way to the infirmary.

He skidded to a stop inside, startling Madam Pomfrey and Kibum, who was tucked into the third bed on the left.

“Do you need more aereveli leaves, dear?” Pomfrey asked as Minho started walking toward Kibum’s bed.

“No, thank you. My head is feeling much better now.”

Kibum sniffled and wiped his nose with one of Pomfrey’s handkerchiefs as Minho sat down on the side of his bed. “What are you doing here?”

“Heard you were sick.” Minho glanced over his shoulder; Pomfrey was busy tending to one of the other students. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pumpkin pastie. “I made you these last night.”

“You did?” His eyes were wide as Minho pushed it into his hands and reached for another one.

“Yeah. Grandma gave me the recipe.”

“She -- “ Kibum took a small bite of it as Minho placed another two beside him on the bed. “You did a really good job!”

Minho grabbed the last one out of his pocket when Kibum took another bite and set it beside the others. He brushed the flakes of the crust off on his trousers and looked down at the pasties. “Oh no! I forgot the glaze!”

“It’s okay, Choi, don’t worry. These are...they’re perfect, thank you.”

Minho beamed at him, relaxing as Kibum took another bite, only for the bell to ring a second later. “Gotta go! I’ll take good notes for you, okay!”

“Okay!”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Sit up for me?”

Kibum rubbed his bleary eyes and pushed himself up, holding back the hair on his forehead as Madam Pomfrey checked his temperature.

“Feeling any better?”

“Mm, a little.”

Pomfrey went over to her cabinet of potions and poured one of them into a teaspoon. “Take this and go back to sleep. You should be right as rain in the morning.”

“Okay.”

She dimmed the lantern beside his bed and walked over to check on Charity Mills, who was quarantined for chicken pox. Kibum watched them for a second before he tucked himself back into bed. He slid his hand beneath his pillow, found one of the pasties Minho had brought him earlier and held onto it until he saw that Charity’s lantern was dimmed. Once the door clicked shut behind Madam Pomfrey, Kibum started to eat the pastie, sighing happily at the first bite.

Minho really had done a good job. It was slightly saltier than Kibum remembered, but that could be because of the lack of Grandma’s usual cinnamon glaze. It was just…so sweet – no pun intended – that Minho went out of his way to learn how to make them.

Whatever made Minho want to learn how to bake and whatever possessed Grandma to relinquish one of her family-secret recipes, Kibum might never know.

Whatever it was, he was very grateful.


	19. Sleepover

“Knight to E5!”

Kibum squinted at Minho’s remaining knight when it didn’t move. He smacked Minho’s hand away when he reached to move it himself. “Do you want the horse to bite you again?”

He huffed, drawing his hand back and crossing his arms. “Why isn’t it going?”

Kibum scanned the chessboard, his eyes widening. “Oh, it’s out of it’s...it’s...range,” he said, pointing on one of the black squares, flinching away when the light knight tried to beat his extended finger with its lance. “Hey! I didn’t touch you!” Minho chuckled and Kibum snorted after a minute. “I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised that Callum’s chess pieces are on the defensive.”

“Yeah, no.” Minho sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes as he yawned. He smiled sleepily when he met Kibum’s curious eyes. “I’m not really tired.”

“Sure.” His gaze dropped to the chessboard before he glanced back up at Minho. “Do we want to stop for the night?”

“Probably.” He stifled another yawn. “We should get back to studying anyway, huh?”

Groaning, Kibum sat back in his chair as Minho started to stand. “I don’t even want to think about exams.”

“I mean, me neither, but we have three tomorrow so...” Minho pushed in his chair as Kibum reluctantly stood. “And like, an hour and a half until light’s out.”

Kibum let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “I suppose.”

They fought with the chess pieces to put them back into their box, the light knight’s horse biting Minho’s finger again -- he inspected the tiny wound with a whispered “Amazing...” Once the box was tied up with its string, Kibum tucked it under his arm and they were off to their study closet on the seventh floor.

For the past two days, they had been studying for exams as soon as the last bell rang and they were released from their classes for the day and until the lights started to dim. Today, both Kibum and Minho were too ancy and distracted to study, so after dinner, Kibum suggested they play wizard’s chess instead of going back to studying.

“Which ones are you taking tomorrow, again?” Minho asked as the metal filigree appeared on the closet door before it popped open.

“Transfiguration, Herbology, and Astronomy.” He chuckled when Minho nodded slowly. “We’re taking the same ones.”

“Right, I forgot.”

He opened the door and stepped inside, lighting the candles before Minho followed him. They sank to their spots on the floor at the back wall, Minho grabbing their discarded sweaters and passing Kibum his. With a simultaneous sigh, they reached for their books and -- Kibum, his _A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration_ , and Minho, his _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_.

The flames danced and sputtered on their wicks, painting the close-set walls a warm yellow. The only sounds in the closet were the soft leafing of pages and the occasional scratching of pen against parchment. Minho yawned again, Kibum glancing away from his textbook when he scooted a little closer.

“We can stop for the night, if you want.”

“No, no. I’m fine. We need to study.”

Kibum rolled his eyes and bit back a smile, going back to his book. It didn’t take too long until Minho’s head started to droop. He roused himself once, twice... The third time his head fell, it stayed down. “Choi...psst, Minho,” Kibum said, pinching Minho’s elbow. He stirred, barely, before he leaned back against the wall. “We should go downstairs.”

“It’s” -- he yawned again -- “it’s a good thing Transfiguration is first, ‘cause...because that one will be the hardest one” -- he sniffed, shaking his head -- “for tomorrow.”

“That’s true.” Kibum smirked as Minho rubbed his hands across his face. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to sleep?” He nodded, dropping his textbook on the floor and stretching out. Minho propped himself up on his elbows and hummed to himself as he flipped to the next page.

Not even five minutes later, there came a light _smack_ and Kibum looked up to find Minho completely and totally asleep. He sniffed in quiet amusement and reached over Minho to grab their wadded up robes. He shook out one, draping it over Minho as a sort-of blanket, and he folded the other, leaning forward to tuck it between Minho’s head and his textbook.

He would wake him up and get him to his house, but he did not want to go through the struggle of getting Minho down seven flights of stairs.

No, it wasn’t worth it.

Kibum rubbed his eyes and went back to reading the same paragraph he had been for the last fifteen minutes. “I should sleep, too...”

He leaned back, making himself as comfortable as he could against the wall, and draped the tail of the robe covering Minho over his legs. Pulling his hands into his sweater sleeves, Kibum crossed his arms and closed his eyes, nodding off to the sound of Minho’s steady breathing.

* * * * * * * * * *

Bright white light streamed into the room, rousing Minho. He rubbed his eye, rolling over as a frown furrowed his brow. What...was he doing in the study closet? The candles had just been blown out, given the faint wisp of smoke tickling his nose. Minho sat up, the blanket -- no, robe -- slipping off his shoulder, and squinted up at Kibum who was standing in the doorway.

“What...time...”

“I think it’s breakfast right now, we should go.”

Minho hummed, taking in the room with tired blinks. “Did we sleep up here?”

“No, I broke into Hufflepuff and dragged you up seven flights of stairs by myself.” Minho’s mouth opened in surprise and Kibum started to laugh. “You’re really not a morning person, are you? Yeah, we slept up here.”

“Oh.”

Kibum smiled before he looked back into the hall. “We should go see if there’s any breakfast left.”

After a fumbling of robes and shoes and books, they were on their way downstairs to the Great Hall. Everyone was starting to disperse by the time they reached it. Minho stood up on his tiptoes, peering over the heads of the other students to find the tables cleared of any remnants of breakfast. He shook his head and Kibum sighed, nodding down the corridor. They followed the other second years to Classroom 1.

The usual two-seater desks had been switched out with single desks, placed in a sort-of checker pattern, probably to eliminate cheating. Minho followed Kibum to the middle of the desks and took the one directly behind him.

Low murmuring hummed throughout the classroom. Kibum started to lean back in his chair, the telltale twinkle in his eye of something funny he thought of, but Professor Crowell walked through the classroom. A roll of parchment and a self-inking quill appearing on every desk in her wake.

“Once you’ve handed in the practical exam, you are to search the classroom for a partially Transfigured object and return it to its original state.” She reached her desk, standing behind it as she looked over the classroom. “And, when you’ve done that, you are to bring it up to my desk. Only then are you done with your exam.” Crowell sat down, and with a wave of her hand, the parchment unraveled in front of everyone.

Minho picked up his quill, writing his name on the line at the top before he started to scan the questions. There were twenty of them, plus an essay question. He tapped the feather end of his quill against his nose.

> **_1\. Why was the spell to turn beetles into buttons originally invented?_ **
> 
> _**A.** Economical purposes. In 1892, Althia Ness’ mother was sewing her father a new winter coat and was short one button. Instead of going to Diagon Alley and buying one from the shop, Althia found a black beetle outside and Transfigured it into a matching button._
> 
> _**B.** Necessity. In the 1760s, an infestation of beetles plagued Diagon Alley, and the seamstress at Twillfit and Tatting created the spell to help the other shop owners with the problem._
> 
> _**C.** On a dare. Melphius Twiet bet Chester Varus that he could not come up with a spell on the spot. A beetle crawled across Melphius’ knee just after, and it gave Chester an idea._
> 
> _**D.** Curiosity. Emeric Switch and his sister Alphaba were playing outside in the when they came across some beetles. They performed various spells on them, just to see what would _ happen, _until Emeric accidentally changed one into a button._

Minho circled **_B_** and went through the rest of the multiple choice questions relatively easily, balking at the essay question.

> _**Essay: What are the five exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration and why are they exempt?** _

The five exceptions were things or concepts that could not be created or conjured from nothing. He knew food was one of them, and he remembered the lesson that this was taught...but his mind instantly went blank as to what the other four were.

Minho glanced up at the back of Kibum’s head, just as he was getting up to hand in his exam. He turned, giving Minho a smile and a thumbs up before he walked away. Several other students were already up and about, inspecting all the shelves around the classrooms for the partially Transfigured items.

Food...food, food, food...

Minho rubbed his stomach, hungry all of the sudden. He shook his head, refocusing on the exam. Food...oh! Money was another.

There was a commotion at one of the bookshelves -- a girl, Minho couldn’t tell who, screamed when the teacup goblet she untransfigured turned into a mouse. Everyone looked over at them, and Kibum caught Minho’s eye. Both of them mimed screaming at the same time, Minho smiling when he went back to his exam.

Food, money...love? That was probably one of them. He wrote it down with the other two, tapping his quill on the parchment while he thought. Minho looked back over at the bookshelves, hoping for some sort of clue. Books! Books equal information, which was the fourth.

He jotted it down, and brushed the feather over his chin. A couple of days ago, one of the students in Defense Against the Dark Arts asked about horcruxes, which was the act of splitting one’s soul by means of murder. It was forbidden, and apparently a couple of years ago there was a surge of horcruxes that needed to be destroyed. There was a glimmer of remembrance in Minho's mind -- soul was the last of the exceptions.

As quickly as he could, Minho wrote his essay and hurried up to Crowell’s desk, handing in his parchment roll. She took it and nodded for him to join the others in their search. He stepped up next to Kibum, folding his hands behind his back.

“How’d you do?” he asked when Kibum looked over at him.

“Good. You?”

“Okay, I think.”

Kibum smiled, glancing over his shoulder at Crowell. “Wait outside for me if you finish first?” he whispered, and Minho nodded before he moved away to search the other bookshelves on the other side of the classroom. It didn’t take him too long to find a glass chalice with soft, iridescent feathers sticking out of the sides.

He fumbled for his wand in his robe pocket and froze when he pulled it out. This was Kibum’s wand...and robe. In their hurry to get downstairs, they must have gotten their robes mixed up. Minho rolled it between his thumb and finger as he looked back at Kibum, who had a book in hand and was feeling for his -- well, Minho’s -- wand.

Minho snorted when Kibum looked confused and held up his wand when he found him. Kibum accidentally let out a laugh, which was abnormally loud in the quiet classroom. His eyes widened as he glanced around the room before he made his way over to Minho. They switched wands and Minho set his goblet back down on the bookshelf while Kibum set his book down on an empty desk.

He held out his wand, swishing it toward the goblet as he said, “Reparifarge!”

White light shone from the tip of his wand, and the chalice spun around with white sparks twirling around it. The glass shimmered and shifted, and all at once the chalice changed into its original state, which seemed to be a robin. Minho leaned towards it, finger extended, his eyes unblinking when it perched there.

“Kibum!” he whispered, looking over at him to see him holding an orange tabby cat. “We did it!” Kibum grinned and started to walk back over to Professor Crowell’s desk. Minho followed him, albeit slowly so as not to disturb the robin. Kibum was already halfway to the door by the time he returned the bird, and soon Minho joined him outside.

“I was wondering why this robe was fitting weird,” Kibum said as he was slipping out of it. Minho pulled his robe off and they switched, Kibum laughing as they headed in the direction of the greenhouses.

There were already some second years waiting outside for Professor Sprout to open the door. They sat at the trunk of the dirigible plum bush that clung to the outside of the greenhouse, quizzing each other on Herbology terms while they waited. Seb and Gilbert joined them, as well as Analecia when she got out of Charms.

It wasn’t long after that Sprout opened the door and let them inside. Minho went to his usual spot, and Kibum took the seat to his left. Minho brushed peat away from the table and over to Kibum’s spot, trying not to smile when Kibum glared at him. He tried to brush it back, but the exams appeared before them and everyone else.

Professor Sprout smiled at them all. “Let’s begin.”

The actual exam did not take too long. Herbology was Minho’s easiest subject -- now that he wasn’t in Flying anymore -- and he was pretty confident that he would pass it. Kibum was too, he knew, which is why they decided to just get it out of the way on the first day of exams. He finished his test before Kibum did, and he waited outside for him.

Astronomy was their last exam of the day, which was scheduled to happen after dinner, so once Kibum joined him outside they went back inside the castle and waited in the Great Hall for lunch. The rest of the day passed by swiftly, their time spent waiting for their final exam used to study for their Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts exams tomorrow.

The Astronomy exam came and went quickly, as all they had to do was ready their assigned star charts and write what they saw there. They were both done by ten. As they started back downstairs, Minho grabbed Kibum’s sleeve and led him down the hallway to their study closet.

“What are you doing?” Kibum asked as they stopped before the tapestry. “We need to get some actual sleep tonight.”

“No, I know, I just wanted to look over my notes for Defense again.”

“Min-hooo...” Kibum walked around him, lighting two of the candles before Minho followed him inside, sitting down at the back of the closet. “I’m tired.”

“It’ll just be for a second.” Kibum slumped against the wall next to him, letting out a sigh as his head rested on Minho’s shoulder. “Petri...petrificus totalus...boy, that sounds weird with a lisp.” He cleared his throat. “Petrifi...cus totalus. Does that sound right?” He looked down at Kibum, who was sound asleep.

He leaned forward a little -- being careful not to disturb Kibum’s sleep -- and watched him for a couple of seconds. Minho smiled, reaching for the sweaters they had discarded this morning in their rush. He arranged them carefully over himself and Kibum before he rested his head back against the wall. His head eventually settled atop Kibum’s, and soon, he was fast asleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kibum woke up shivering and reaching blindly for his blankets, only to find none. Blearily, he opened his eyes. Damn it, they fell asleep in the study closet, again. Minho was slumped over, his face smushed against the wall. He had stolen all of the sweaters, so Kibum took the one draped over Minho’s legs and slipped it on before he heaved himself up and made his way toward the door.

The corridor was still dark, except for the torchlights. He crept outside, leaving the door ajar, and shuffled on socked feet down the hall to the staircase tower, where there was a window. It was still night, moonlight streaming through the planes of glass.

Good, he could still sleep.

Kibum trudged back to the closet and closed the door behind him, the candles’ flames flickering. Soon, he was back at his spot at the back wall, and he tucked his feet under Minho’s side to warm up his toes. He rubbed some warmth into his arms as he leaned against the wall, eventually falling back asleep.

When morning came, Kibum woke reluctantly, stretching his limbs before he stood. “Minho...Min...” Minho, who was curled up in a tight ball on the floor, didn’t stir. “Hey,” Kibum mumbled, tapping Minho’s thigh with his foot. “Wake up if you want breakfast this morning.”

Still, no reaction.

Kibum shed his sweater and tossed it at Minho’s head. He made no move to get it off, instead, he started to snore. Rolling his eyes, Kibum picked up their two robes and dug through the pockets, putting on the one that had his wand. He blew out the candles on the way to the door, which he opened to let in the dim morning light. When he glanced back at Minho, he almost started to laugh. Only one of his sock-covered feet was visible beneath the pile of sweaters.

“Min-hooo!” He said, half-shouting.

Only then did Minho sit up, the sweater sliding off of his head and onto the floor behind him. “Wha...”

“You hungry?”

Minho stared blankly at him for a few seconds before he stood, bending down to grab his robe with a yawn. Kibum closed the door once Minho was outside and they started for the staircase, the closet door starting to disappear from view as soon as they turned away.

“It’s...Charms and Dark Arts today.”

Kibum nodded and Minho rubbed his hands over his face. “Do you feel ready?”

“As ready as I’m gonna be.”

The Charms exam was during second period, which meant they had some extra time for some last minute pronunciation studying. When the bell rang, they as well as the small group of other second years trudged up the steps to the Charms classroom.

Much like last year, Flitwick had enchanted the room so that no one could hear the exam when others were taking it. Kibum took his first, for Minho’s peace of mind, and then waited for him to finish his before they left together. Minho slung his arm across Kibum’s shoulders as they made their way downstairs, and he was grinning when Kibum looked over at him.

“Feeling good?”

“Yeah. I think I did okay.”

Kibum smiled.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was scheduled after lunch, so they made their way to the Great Hall, Minho sitting on the Hufflepuff table while Kibum laid down on the bench beside him. He dug the note cards Minho made from the things his mom got him for school out of his pocket.

“What are the four different types of trolls?”

“Uhh...Forest, Part-troll, River, and Mountain.”

“Mhm.” Kibum flipped over the note card. “And which is the most dangerous?”

“Mountain, because they’re the most violent and they travel in groups.”

“And what are the groups called?”

Minho’s brow furrowed in concentration. “Stenches?”

“Yup.” Kibum dropped the note card on his chest and went to the next. They continued to quiz each other, handing the stack of note cards back and forth until other students started showing up for lunch. Before Kibum headed over to Slytherin, he stopped before Minho. “Hey, since we slept up there for the past two nights, want to do it again tonight?”

“Sure! It’s probably our good luck charm, since we’ve been doing so well on our finals.”

“Don’t say that until we’ve seen our grades.”

He snorted and Kibum started to walk away until Minho jumped off the table and grabbed his sleeve. “We should bring blankets or pillows or something tonight though.”

“Good idea.”

The Defense Against the Dark Arts final was as painless as it could be. O’Neely made a short speech once everyone was finished about how proud he was of them all and their progress this year. Everyone left the classroom with their heads held high.

Dinner came and went, and they both excused themselves from their tables early so they could sneak some of their bedding out of the rooms before anyone else returned to the houses. It was quite the effort for both of them not to trip on the blankets on their way up all those stairs, but the pile of soft blankets and pillows taking up the entirety of the closet was well worth it.

They studied their History of Magic notes for as long as the could keep their eyes open. Minho fell asleep first, Kibum looking over at him as his steady breathing turned into light snoring. He tucked Minho in as best as he could before he drifted off himself.


	20. Promises Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are we still good to hang out this summer? I know I haven’t really set up anything with my mom, but I’d still like to, if...if you want to, that is.”
> 
> Kibum grinned. “Yeah, of course! I’ll ask Grandma on the way home, I promise. A week for each visit, right?”
> 
> “Hopefully.”

There’s a certain electricity in the air on the last day of school. The growing excitement within each student at the mere thought that they’ll be seeing their parents and family soon and the knowledge that they won’t have to back here at Hogwarts for at least another two full months was enough to make any student ecstatic enough to keep talking while Headmistress McGonagall was coming up to the podium.

Or, even all of them.

Kibum noticed her standing there, watching the student body with a look of mildly amused disdain. He quieted down, until Mason three seats over made a joke about the Grindylows they saw in the Lacuspectio last night. He suppressed his shiver at the memory. It was always so cold in that room, underneath the Black Lake, but it was also one of his favorite places in the Slytherin common room. He’d have to figure out a way to sneak Minho in there someday.

McGonagall cleared her throat, and without her even amplifying the sound, the entire Great Hall quieted, even the professors. “Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you all are enjoying your final lunch here before you leave tomorrow.” She paused, as if waiting for a response, but no student in their right mind would interject once she began her speech. “Congratulations again to Slytherin for your impressive win of the house cup, a new record to beat, if my memory serves me right.”

A couple of whoops and hollers went up around Kibum, as well as a weak applause from the rest of the students. When McGonagall raised her hand, they grew silent once more.

“Due to a magical malfunction, we were not able to have your report cards ready by last night, but they’re here now. If Crawley, Dunn, William, Hughes, Porter, Cunningham, Carson, and Wood would come up to collect the envelopes please.”

Somewhere far down the table, Vincent and Charlie got up, as well as the head students from the other houses, and hurried to the podium to get everyone’s report cards.

“Once you are finished with your lunch, you are dismissed to do what you wish for the rest of the day until dinner. Except for seventh and second years, of course.” Kibum sent a quizzical look across the table to Callum and Aaron, who shrugged. “Seventh years will stay in here and second years will report to Classroom 3C.”

The Dark Arts classroom? “I wonder what that’s for,” Kibum muttered.

“Maybe we all did really bad on our final?” Analecia whispered back.

“Thank you for your attention, you may go back to your meal now,” McGonagall said as she turned away from the podium.

Kibum glanced across the Hall to the Hufflepuff table to see that Minho was just standing to leave. Their eyes met and Minho nodded to the door. Kibum jumped out of his seat and hurried to meet him in the doorway.

“I wonder what that’s about,” Minho said once they were within earshot.

“Not sure.” Kibum looked back into the Great Hall, watching as O’Neely stood and started for the door behind the dais. “I hope it’s nothing bad.”

“Me too.”

They trudged over to the stairs, taking each one up to the third floor as slowly as they could, dreading the inevitable.

Whatever it was.

They were the third and fourth to the classroom, beaten by two Ravenclaws that Kibum couldn’t remember their names. The other second years continued to trickle in after they took a seat at one of the desks. Kibum hummed to himself as he glanced around at all the others, their nervous chatter spurring his own anxiety.

“When does Jonghyun get back from France?”

Kibum’s eyebrows rose and he looked over at Minho. “I think Grandma said the 26th. Why?”

“Just curious.” He looked as though he was about to elaborate, but O’Neely walked through the classroom, his long robes billowing behind him. Minho watched him, his mouth slightly agape, and Kibum’s face heated when he turned to flash a smile to the group.

“You guys seem nervous,” he said, chuckling, as he sat on the edge of his desk in the front of the classroom. “This is nothing bad, I swear. See, the professors here all take a year of students under our wing, to mentor and guide and counsel you, if the need arises. Last year, my class graduated, and so I get the pleasure of being your mentor for the rest of your time here at Hogwarts.”

Kibum’s eyes widened, and he spared a quick glance to see how Minho was reacting. Judging by the smile on his face, he was excited about this, too.

“Anytime, day or night, you need something – advice, help with your studies, someone to talk to? I’m here for you. That being said,” he turned, reaching for something on his desk, “I have your report cards, as well as your permission slips that you’ll need to have signed by either your parents or your legal guardian.”

Chloe Robbs raised her hand, and O’Neely nodded to her. “Permission slips for what, Professor?”

He smiled. “Your permission slips for Hogsmeade.” Excited murmuring filled the classroom, and Minho caught Kibum’s eye with a concerned look, and Kibum just shook his head. He’d explain later if O’Neely didn’t right now. “Yes, you’re all excited, but please do be sure to get those signed, because if you don’t, you will not be allowed to leave with the rest of the upperclassmen, alright? Now,” he shuffled through the papers in his hand. “Come up when I call your name, and then you can go finish packing.”

Minho was called up before Kibum, but he waited by the door until Kibum got his papers. Without a word to each other, they made their way to the far staircase, climbing up instead of down, and went to their study closet, their report cards held tightly in hand. Kibum lit the candles and Minho closed the door behind himself, sitting down beside Kibum.

“Same time?”

“Same time.”

The ripping of the envelopes was amplified in the small space, and Kibum slowly slid his out to see it.

> _**Kim Kibum** – 2nd year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – has succeeded in getting these grades for his classes this 2004-2005 term._
> 
> _**Astronomy** – Exceeds Expectations_
> 
> _**Charms** – Exceeds Expectations_
> 
> _**Defense Against the Dark Arts** – Acceptable_
> 
> _**Herbology** – Exceeds Expectations_
> 
> _**History of Magic** – Acceptable_
> 
> _**Potions** – Outstanding_
> 
> _**Transfiguration** – Exceeds Expectations_

It was his second year in a row to get an _Outstanding_ in Potions, and for that, he was pretty proud of himself. He peaked over at Minho’s, but only saw him slipping it back into his envelope. “How’d you do?”

“Good!”

“Yeah?”

Minho wiggled slightly where he sat, grinning when he looked up at Kibum. “I got an Outstanding in Herbology.”

Grinning himself, Kibum started to hug him, only to pull back a little once his arms were around him. “Pass everything else?”

Minho leaned into the hug, and Kibum tightened his embrace. “Yup!” Kibum patted his back a couple times before he let go and leaned back against the wall. They both sighed.

“Five years left, and then we’re done.” Kibum hummed in agreement. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think I’d make it this long here.”

“Really?”

He nodded, his head knocking lightly against the wall. “I don’t think I would have, if you hadn’t helped me.” Kibum glanced over at Minho, his gaze dropping to his folded hands when Minho met his eyes. “I…I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. With…with helping me learn English better and…and understanding what’s going on with the lessons. It“ – he cleared his throat – “it really means a lot to me. I’m really grateful to…to you.”

Minho fell silent, but Kibum could feel his eyes on him. “Well,” he said as he looked over at Minho, “what are friends for, right?”

“Yeah.”

There was a stretch of silence between them before Kibum cleared his throat. “Hey, we should probably go finish packing, huh?” Kibum said as he stood, brushing off the seat of his trousers. He held out his hand to help Minho up, which he took.

“Probably.” Kibum blew out the candles once Minho opened the door and followed him out into the hall. “Got your permission slip?” He nodded. “Report card?” Kibum nodded again. There was a hint of a twinkle in Minho’s eye, and then he was running off to the staircase. “Race you!”

“Not fair! You had a head start!” Kibum shouted as he started to run after him, picking up his speed with a huff when Minho reached the staircase.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Anything from the trolley?”

Minho shot up from his seat, which roused Kibum, who had been leaning against him while he slept. Callum joined him at the doorway, both of them digging in their pockets for change.

“Two packages of beans, please, and a bag of lemon drops?” Callum said, fishing out a Galleon and dropping it in the Trolley Witch’s jar. “You want anything?” he asked, raising his voice.

“No, I’m good,” Aaron said, since it was directed at him.

“And for you, dear?” she asked Minho as she handed Callum his candy.

“Uhhh...” he kept digging around in his pockets, searching in vain for a Sickle or even a Knut. “Nothing, I’m good.”

“What’d you want?” Kibum asked as he came up behind him, his voice still groggy.

“Just a couple of licorice wands, but it’s -- “

Kibum dropped a silver Sickle in the jar. “Red, please.” The Trolley Witch passed them to Minho and went on her way, calling out to the next cabin. Minho was about to thank Kibum when he reached around and took one of the twisted wands out of his hand with a wry smile. “Sorry I fell asleep, but you can blame Fredrick for keeping us up all night.”

Minho chuckled. “It’s fine. Seb and Travis kept us up late, too.”

His gaze drifted to the window, and he watched as the Scottish countryside passed them by. The light cream and lilac of the heather, lush green of the highland moors, and rich brown of the crags was just a blur as the Hogwarts Express zipped along on the tracks. Anytime he tried to focus on any one thing, be it a hill or even what he thought might be a deer, he lost sight of it. Absently, he stepped up to the long window in the hall, his breath fogging it up.

“It’s so pretty out here.”

Beside him, Kibum nodded. “I’ve been out there with Mom, once.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She took me here after Dad died, when we first moved in with Grandma, just to show me where they had been and what they had done. I actually got to see a Hogwarts from a distance, during that trip.” He sighed heavily, offering a small smile to Minho when he looked over at him. “It was nice, actually, being able to put a place to Dad’s stories. He loved living in Great Britain...I wish he would have been able to see it again before he died.”

“Why...why’d he move back to Korea?”

“His dad was sick. That’s actually where I was born, in Daegu, but I wasn’t there very long.” Minho knew why, as Kibum had told him the story before. His father grew sick -- leukemia -- and was taken to a cancer center in New York to be treated. They made a life there, until Kibum’s dad died, and after he was buried in South Korea, they moved to London.

He sighed listlessly and Minho worried his bottom lip. He didn’t often talk about his dad being sick, nor his inevitable death...“I’ve been to Daegu! It’s nice.”

Kibum sniffed in amusement, his expression brightening slightly. “Well, I would assume so.”

“Is Grandma gonna be on the platform?”

“Probably. She said she might be a little late, though. If that happens, I’ll just wait in Dulcis for her to show up.”

Minho turned to face him, leaning his shoulder up against the window. “I might wait with you, then. Mom told me that they’ll probably be late because Dad’s team has a game today. Oh, hey, speaking of -- “

“Hmm?”

“Are we still good to hang out this summer? I know I haven’t really set up anything with my mom, but I’d still like to, if...if you want to, that is.”

Kibum grinned. “Yeah, of course! I’ll ask Grandma on the way home, I promise. A week for each visit, right?”

“Hopefully.”

“It’ll be fun, if it works out,” Kibum said as he looked back out the window. The scenery had changed as they had been chatting, from the Scottish countryside to the rural area just outside of London. It wouldn’t be long now until they reached King’s Cross. “I’ll get our stuff.”

Minho finished the licorice wand he had been working on and stuffed the other two into his jeans pocket. By the time Kibum handed him his backpack, the train had reached London itself, and Minho slipped on his backpack as they went into the tunnel. Kibum’s hand found his arm in the darkness, holding it gently until they came back into the light of King’s Cross.

Parents and grandparents and siblings, both older and younger, were waiting for them as the Hogwarts Express pulled up to the platform. Both Kibum and Minho searched for Grandma, Kibum spotting her first. “There she is! Oh...”

Minho looked where he pointed, finding that she was not alone. “Who’s that?”

“My...mom? What is she doing home?”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Minho tore his gaze away from the two women when Kibum didn’t answer right away. “Isn’t it?”

“Yeah...yeah, it’s just weird.” The gray exhaust from the train billowed around the window, blocking their view for a second, and Kibum turned to Minho. “I’ll write to you with what she...well, they say, okay? First thing, I promise.”

“Okay.”

Kibum gave him a quick hug, looking back outside the window at his mom and grandma. “I’ll tell Grandma you said ‘Hi.’“

“Thanks,” Minho said as he watched Kibum walk toward the door and out onto the platform. He hooked his backpack over his shoulder before he followed him, but by the time he stepped down, Kibum was already reunited with them, getting hugged by both of them at the same time.

Smiling, Minho made his way over to where the luggage was being unloaded, finding his duffle bag easily amidst all of the heavy trunks. By the time he had Geum-nun’s cage, Kibum and his mom were making their way over to the luggage pile. Minho waved at him as he started walking toward the brick wall.

He stopped a couple steps away from it, taking a deep breath. It would be weird to be back with Muggles again, even if it was just his family. “You’ve got this, Choi,” he said, using the best Kibum voice he could muster.

Chuckling to himself, he started to run, slowing down once he passed through the wall. He blended into the crowd as best he could with a caged owl in his arms, and after another deep breath, he started making his way to the entrance to wait for his mom.


	21. Promises Kept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Nervous?”
> 
> Minho stopped fidgeting for a second, his hands folding in his lap as he looked over at Mom. He was about to answer her, but then a voice called out over the intercom: “Stockport, arriving in five minutes. Stockport, arriving in five minutes.”
> 
> “Is that his train?”

“Nervous?”

Minho stopped fidgeting for a second, his hands folding in his lap as he looked over at Mom. He was about to answer her, but then a voice called out over the intercom: “Stockport, arriving in five minutes. Stockport, arriving in five minutes.”

“Is that his train?” he asked as he bounded off the bench and weaved through the crowd to the screen displaying the train numbers and their arrival times.

The click of Mom’s heels followed him, her arm draping over his shoulders. “0525, that’s his train, right?” Minho nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Kibum would be arriving at Platform 10, should they go there and wait for him to get off the train? “Let’s go back and wait for him on the bench, all right?”

“But…” He turned to watch as she started to walk away. Did Kibum know his way around Muggle train stations? Would he even know where to look for them? While her back was still turned, Minho darted up the steps and ran down the crowded corridor toward Platform 10.

Once he found it, he bounced on the balls of his feet, freezing on his tiptoes when the train pulled up to the platform, the brakes screeching as it came to a stop. Minho grinned when he spotted Kibum peering through the window, returning his wave happily. The other passengers poured out of the doors and on to the platform. It took a while for Kibum to make an appearance in the doorway. He bolted to him once he did, smiling up at him as he stepped down onto the platform.

Minho hugged him as soon as both of his feet were on the ground. “Hey, buddy,” Kibum said, patting his back until Minho let him go. “Where’re your parents?”

“Dad and Minseok are at practice and Mom is waiting on one of the benches.” He gestured to the patched-up satchel hanging at Kibum’s side. “Do we need to go get your luggage?”

“Nope. This is it.”

“Huh.” Kibum laughed as he started following the rest of the passengers off the platform, Minho following him immediately. “Yeah, let’s go find Mom.”

* * * * * * * * * *

The drive home from the train station was...oddly tense. Kibum tugged on the seatbelt, pulling it away from his neck and slipping it over his head. Minho glanced back at him from his spot in the front seat, offering him a small smile, and looked like he was about to say something. But, a strange jingle started to play, and his attention snapped back over to his mom.

He held his hand out, taking the thin pink device she handed him and flipped it open before he held it up to his ear. “Hey, Dad!” He paused, laughing after a second. “You’re using dad’s phone, stupid, of course I’m gonna think you’re Dad!”

Mrs. Choi smacked Minho’s arm lightly. “Be nice to your brother.”

“You didn’t hear h -- hmm? Okay...okay...yeah...okay, bye.” Minho closed the thin pink thing and slipped it back into his mom’s purse. “Practice is running a little late so you don’t have to have dinner ready until 8.”

She let out a long sigh and Kibum leaned over a little to see the time on the car radio. Damn it, it was only 4:30, but he was already hungry -- he and Grandma usually ate early. As if on cue, his stomach growled and Minho glanced back at him. He glanced between Kibum and his mom, his expression a little weird. Kibum’s brow furrowed when Minho looked back at his mom with a smile.

“What if we got pizza and they got something on the way home?”

“I don’t know.”

“You like pizza, right, Kibum?”

“Uh...” Minho looked back at him and Mrs. Choi met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “I’ve never had it, I don’t think.”

Both of their eyes widened, and Mrs. Choi changed lanes quickly. “Get my phone and text your father.” Minho nodded and grabbed the pink thing from her purse, flipping it open again. “Tell him that they can either have leftover pizza or they can pick something up on the way home.” She met Kibum’s eyes through the mirror again. “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Kibum smiled at her before she looked back at the road. Soon, they pulled into a parking lot for a place called Croma. They followed Mrs. Choi inside, both peering over her shoulder as she ordered them two pizzas -- a margarita and an Americana, he thought she said -- as well as some garlic bread sticks and salads.

“Grandma grows garlic around the house,” Kibum said as they headed over to the semi-populated waiting area. “Like, all around the house. We use it, of course, for cooking and, like, potions and stuff, but it’s mostly there to keep vampires away.”

Minho’s eyes widened and he started to say something, but they were both quickly shushed by Mrs. Choi. Kibum frowned, glancing around at the curious Muggles in the waiting area. Something dinged inside her purse, and she pulled out the pink thing, ignoring them for a moment.

Minho cleared his throat, leaning toward Kibum to whisper, “When we’re around...other people...we probably shouldn’t talk about...that stuff.”

Kibum glanced past him to his mother, who was still focused on the pink thing. “Even around your family?”

“Uhh...”

“Really?”

“It’s okay sometimes, and Minseok is usually okay with it, but...sorry, I should have mentioned it earlier.”

“It’s okay.” An awkward sort of silence stretched between them, broken when one of the people in the waiting area was called up to get their pizza. “Am I gonna be in trouble?”

Minho laughed. “No, I don’t think so.” He chuckled again before he sobered. “Just be sure not to say anything in front of my dad, because then you might be.”

“Choi!”

They hurried after Mrs. Choi as she made her way back up to the counter. She handed the two pizza boxes to Minho and the foil bag of breadsticks and the salads to Kibum. “Go ahead and sit in the back seat, honey,” she said when they reached the car. Minho slid the pizza into the middle of back seat before he hopped inside. “We’ll be home in ten minutes.”

Kibum thought he had been hungry before, but the smell wafting up from the pizza and the garlic bread was nearly torturous. When his stomach growled loudly again, Minho looked over at him, his eyes alit with silent laughter. He continued to talk to his mom about whatever they were talking about while he slowly unrolled the top of the breadsticks bag. With a finger on his lips, he passed one to Kibum, who ate it quietly and quickly, savoring it as much as he could on the way home.

Prism Lane was quite similar in appearances to Juliette Boulevard, with the small, matching houses and the cobblestone lanes leading to the brightly colored doors. One of the differences, Kibum noticed, were the gardens.

Here, they were pristine, with prim little rose bushes or orchids or carnations lining the homes. Back in Nottingham, however, Kibum knew that at least seven of the other residents were witches and wizards, since some of the kids were also at Hogwarts. The gardens back home were teaming with different plants, to make potions and poultices and salves, or to cook with, since they did not often go to Muggle grocery stores.

They pulled into the driveway and followed her into the house. It was nice and homey, in its own way, but not cozy like Grandma’s house. The walls were painted a cool gray with touches of blue and green accented in the art and the plants. Even though he had only seen the entrance, it seemed oddly clean, compared to Grandma’s house.

“Put the pizza on the counter before you show Kibum to your room, all right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Minho said, kicking off his shoes and holding the pizza boxes in his arms out to Kibum. “Put those here. I’ll go set them down. Just wait here?” Kibum set the bag of breadsticks and salads on top of the pizza boxes and watched as Minho glided across the hardwood floor to the swinging kitchen door. He reappeared a second later and hurried to put his shoes on top of the cubby by the door. “You can put yours next to mine.”

He set his shoes beside Minho’s and followed him upstairs to his room. “What...”

“Hmm?” Kibum pointed to the bed floating on the floor. “Oh, that’s our air mattress. We had it from when Jinki or Taemin or any of Minseok’s friends would sleep over.”

“Oh.” Tentatively, Kibum sat down on the end.

“I think there’s a hole in it, so we’ll have to blow it up every night.”

“Blow...it up?”

Minho snorted. “Like, with air?” He propped his feet up on the air mattress, jostling Kibum where he sat. Kibum rolled his eyes and started to glare at Minho when they heard a cupboard slam shut downstairs. “Oh, we should hurry,” Minho said, already hopping over the air mattress and reaching for his bedroom door. “We don’t want the pizza to get cold.”

Thankfully, they made it in time. The pizza was...deliciously hot and cheesy and Kibum wondered why the hell he had been deprived of it for so long.

They needed this at Hogwarts.

He was about to ask Minho to suggest it to Sookey when they got back to school, but Mr. Choi and Minseok walked through the door. Mrs. Choi got up to greet them and Kibum glanced at Minho, who set his fork down with a sigh as he looked to the dining room doorway. Kibum sucked the red sauce off his thumb and followed his gaze.

“Hey, Min...” Minseok said as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a plate and a couple slices of pizza before he looked up and locked eyes with Kibum. “Hi, I’m -- “

“Minseok, I know. I’m -- “

“Kibum. I know, too.” He slid into the seat across from Minho, glancing between the two of them. “Do you talk about me at school, Min?”

“Occasionally,” he said before he stuffed another bite of pizza into his mouth.

“Only good things.”

Kibum struggled to keep his amusement from showing and Minho kept eating to keep his mouth full. Minseok squinted. “I don’t believe you.” Minho started to laugh, but all three of them quieted with Mr. and Mrs. Choi walked back into the kitchen.

“So,” Mr. Choi said, taking his seat at the head of the table while Mrs. Choi fixed him a plate. “You’re the famous Kibum.”

He spared a quick glance at Minho. The tips of his ears, as well as his cheeks, were a bright red as he stared pointedly at the table. “I don’t know about famous, sir, but yes.”

Minseok snickered, stopping when Mr. Choi cleared his throat. They all started eating after a second of awkward silence. Mr. and Mrs. Choi filled each other in about their days while the boys ate. Once Kibum was full, Minho stopped eating and cleared their plates from the table. Kibum followed him into the kitchen, rinsing the plates when Minho washed them and set them on a towel to dry. They washed the other plates too after Minseok brought them in.

Once the water was drained, Minho led him upstairs, away from the sounds from the other room downstairs. “What was that?” he whispered as they climbed the stairs.

“Dad is probably just watching football on TV. Do you wanna shower before bed?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, grab your stuff and I’ll show you how it works”

It didn’t take Kibum long to shower, and soon he was tucked between his blankets. Minho flicked off the light, accidentally bumping into the air mattress on his way to bed. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Beside him, there came a creak and a sigh, and Kibum glanced over to see that Minho had settled into bed. He stared at his silhouette for a second before he looked up at the stars on the ceiling. "Are...”

“Hmm?”

“Are those in constellations?”

Minho hummed his assent. “I tried, at least.”

“You did a good job.” There came a delayed _thanks_ from the shadows to his right, a hint of a smile coloring Minho’s voice. “So,” Minho’s head turned on his pillow. “What have you told your family about me?” He glanced up when Minho turned on his side to face him.

“Everything, I guess.”

Kibum pulled his blankets up over his shoulder as looked at Minho. The moonlight softly lit the top of his head, the bridge of his nose, and the tips of his fingers peeking out from under his blanket. His face was still cloaked in shadow, but Kibum could feel his eyes on him. Kibum blinked, and the moonlight seemed to fade, if only slightly. “What -- “ he cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “What do you mean by ‘I guess’?”

Minho sighed, his fingers twitching around his blanket. “Everything I could remember, I guess. Like, how you helped me learn English in first year, and then again after my concussion.” He stretched a little as he yawned. “About that one time you almost fell through the lake. When you got sick but wouldn’t admit it...”

“I wasn’t sick. it was allergies.”

“Listen, Bummie, Pomfrey agreed with me so shush.”

“Whatever.” Kibum smiled, warmth blooming in his chest. He wrapped his arms around his pillow, hugging it. “What else?”

Minho yawned again. “I don’t know. Can’t remember. Mom does like you though, I think.”

Kibum’s brow furrowed. “Really?” It didn't necessarily seem like it.

He nodded against his pillow. “Something about...about liking that she knows that...there’s someone at school who cares about me...I think...” His voice grew quieter and quieter until it dropped off completely. Kibum listened to his steady breathing for a moment before he rolled onto his back.

It took him a little while to start to drift off -- being in a strange bed and all. Once he did, however, his throat became increasingly dry. Soon, he was wide awake because of it. With a quiet groan, he sat up, wrapping his blanket around him as he slowly got out of bed and shuffled to the door.

There was a light still on downstairs, stopping Kibum in his tracks. Was it just a nightlight or was someone still up? No, someone was still up, he could hear their voice. He started to descend the stairs, freezing when one of the steps creaked under his foot.

The voices quieted for a second, and a shadow passed over the open kitchen door before they spoke again. “It’s not like he’ll be here much longer,” Mrs. Choi said, her voice sounding like a tired sigh. “It’s just until the end of the week. And it’s not like you’ll be here often.”

Kibum slowly sat down on the step, wrapping his arms around himself. “I don’t want Minseok here either, then, you know, just in case. I’ll take him with me to work.”

“Of course.” Silence stretched between them for a moment. “He is Minho’s friend...I don’t think he’d do anything to harm us.”

“I guess.”

Kibum jumped when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Minho behind him, but found Minseok instead. He gestured behind him, and crept back to his room, Kibum quietly following. He closed the door and flipped on the light once Kibum was inside.

“How much did you hear?” Minseok asked as he walked past him on his way to his bed.

Did he know? Kibum stared at him for a moment, searching his expression for any sort of clues. “Not much, but enough.”

“Yeah.” Minseok rubbed his hands over his face, sighing heavily.

“Is that why he always takes you with him to practice? Because of Minho?” When Minseok didn’t respond right away, Kibum went on. “Like, I know they were talking about me, but it sounds like what happened here last summer.”

Minseok looked up at him, his brow furrowing. “Minho told you about that?” More or less...Kibum nodded. “I think it is, even if Dad won’t admit it.”

Kibum let out a disdained huff before he sank to the floor, crossing his legs beneath him. “What the hell for?”

“I think, well, I think Dad is just, like, struggling with the idea that one of his sons is a wizard. It doesn’t help that Minho refuses to do magic to prove that he actually _is_ a wizard -- “

“That’s against the law for us, though.”

“Right, that’s what he said.” Minseok sighed again. “I think just the fact -- that he’s magical -- really freaked Dad out...He doesn’t talk to me about it, but I’ve heard him say stuff to Mom when they think I can’t hear them.”

Kibum couldn’t help but ask, “What sort of stuff?”

Minseok started to speak, but quickly closed his mouth and averted his gaze, shaking his head. “I don’t remember.”

His hands fisted in his blankets, tugging it a little tighter around himself. “What do you think?” Kibum’s jaw clenched when Minseok met his eyes again. “About Minho? What do you think?”

“I don’t think he’s a freak, if that’s what you’re asking. Like not at all.” Kibum started to relax a little bit. “I wish I could go with him and see all the cool stuff he tells me about, but...yeah.”

Kibum nodded. He seemed nice enough and supportive of Minho, which was good. If Minho’s stories about Minseok were to be believed, he basically hung the sun in the sky. “I...I’m glad he has you to come home to.”

“And I’m glad you’re there for him at school.”

Kibum gave him a small smile before he stood and headed for the door. “Going to practice with your dad tomorrow?”

“Probably. Maybe.” Minseok smiled back. “I might try to stay home.”

“Okay.” Kibum closed the door behind him, tiptoeing down the hall to Minho’s room, his previous thirst forgotten. Carefully and quietly, he crept back into his bed and rolled on his side to face Minho. His hand laid limply off the bed, his thumb twitching occasionally.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair that someone as sweet and kind and giving as Minho would have to come home to...to parents who can’t seem to accept a major part of who he was. He already knew this visit was going to be _different_ when they started to plan it last year, but he wasn’t expecting this. He glanced past the tips of Minho’s fingers to where his face was hidden by the night. 

“I know you’re asleep, buddy,” Kibum whispered. “But I want you to know that I’ll always be there for you. No matter what. I’ve got your back like you’ve got mine.” He glanced back at his hand, and after a second of thought, he hooked their pinkies together. “I promise.”

* * * * * * * * * *

In the haze of early morning, Minho’s only warning was a slight _clink_. By the time his eyes had barely started to open, it was too late.

Ice cold water, followed by the ice cubes themselves, poured onto his neck and back. Minho’s eyes squeezed shut before he launched himself out of bed, tripping over the empty air mattress and falling onto the floor.

Looking up, he saw Minseok standing over his bed, drinking the rest of the water from the glass.

“Breakfast is ready.” He cackled and ran out the door when Minho threw his cleat at him. “Hurry up!” he called from the hall, his heavy footsteps thundering down the stairs.

Grumbling to himself, Minho took off his soaked shirt and tossed it into his hamper. He was about to go downstairs in just his shorts, but then he looked back at the empty air mattress. He could feel his face heat up as he looked around for a shirt of some kind, finding and pulling on one of his many hoodies and heading out the door. Before he went downstairs, however, he hurried to the bathroom, combing his hair into place with his fingers.

“Good morning!” he said as he walked through the doorway and into the kitchen.

Kibum looked up from the table, smiling brightly at him. “Morning!”

The TV was on in the living room, but Minho couldn’t tell what was playing. He scooped some slightly burnt scrambled eggs and a couple slices of bacon from the discarded pans around the kitchen and grabbed two of the frozen waffles from the toaster. “Where’s Mom?”

Kibum shrugged, and Minseok answered from the other room. “Dad took her out for breakfast!”

“Ahh.” Kibum was pouring him a glass of orange juice, and he slid it in front of the seat beside him as Minho came into the dining room. “Sleep okay?”

“Mmhm.” He took a sip of his own juice, his brow furrowing. “So I know that this isn’t pumpkin juice but it kinda looks like it and I’m each time I take a drink I’m surprised.” Minho almost snorted scrambled eggs out of his nose and Kibum patted his back as he coughed. “It wasn’t that funny.”

“It’s not you,” Minseok said as he went through the dining room to the kitchen. “He’s super giggly in the morning.”

“Oh really?”

Both of them turned to him, and Minho’s face felt like it was trying to spontaneously combust. “Leave me alone,” he muttered, trying not to laugh, as he gathered his plate and glass and tried to go hide in the living room. Oh great, Minseok had been watching _Shrek_...that never made him laugh. Minho situated himself in Dad’s armchair and continued eating his breakfast as Donkey tried to get out of Dragon’s clutches.

Kibum followed him into the room, stopping dead in his tracks as he stared at the TV. “What’s that?”

“You’ve never seen _Shrek_?” When Kibum shook his head, Minho scrambled for the remote, starting it all the way over. He hummed along to _All-Star_ , and glanced over at Kibum. “This is the song the team listens to before a game.”

“Oh...”

Kibum sat in rapt attention of the movie, not even looking away from the screen when Mom and Dad got home. Minho started to get out of Dad’s chair when he walked into the living room, but he gestured for him to stay put. “Ready to go?” he asked Minseok.

“Can I stay home today?” Minho’s eyes widened as his gaze flicked from Dad to Minseok. “It’s not like I do much of anything when I’m there.”

“But you’re learning the entire time. How are you going to make it as a football player if you don’t learn from the professionals?”

Minho glanced back at Kibum, to check if his attention had shifted from _Shrek_ to the conversation, but it hadn’t.

“It’s just one day. Is one day really gonna make that much of a difference?”

Dad’s jaw tightened and he met Minho’s eyes, seemingly surprised to find him watching. Minho quickly turned back to the TV, lounging as casually as possible in the armchair. “I’ll be late,” he said, kissing Mom’s cheek before he left the room.

In his peripheral vision, Minho saw Minseok visibly relax. When Dad’s car puttered away outside, Minho glanced over at his brother, smiling when he looked back.

Minho -- and Minseok, when he didn’t go with dad to work -- spent the next several days showing Kibum as many Muggle things as possible. It took him a couple of hours to get the hang of how to play video games, but he seemed to prefer to sit back and watch while Minho played.

Unsurprisingly, football, much like Quidditch, was not one of his interests, but he still joined them when he and Minseok went outside to pass the ball around the yard. He sat on the ground, picking at the grass while he chatted with Minho and Minseok. Sometimes, Minho got too involved in their discussion that he forgot to pass the ball back.

One afternoon, when Kibum went inside for a minute to make himself some tea, Minseok called him over. “What’s up with you?”

Minho frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’re acting like the guys do at school when the girls come to watch us play.” Minho blinked, averting his eyes when his face started to heat up. “It’s only Kibum.”

“I know.”

Minseok lightly kicked the ball back and forth before he kicked it up with his toe. He caught it and tossed it against Minho’s chest, who then caught it. “Pass it back,” he said, gesturing for him to return to his spot across the yard.

Minho started walking back, looking up when the sliding glass door opened and Kibum stepped out, a mug in hand.

One Muggle activity that Kibum really did seem to enjoy was watching TV, specifically movies. The Chois had never really had that big of a movie collection, but Mom had a soft spot for Studio Ghibli movies, so they had a bunch of those. After they had watched _Howl’s Moving Castle_ , Kibum wanted to watch them all, and Minho was more than happy to oblige him.

One night, as they were trying to fall asleep, Kibum whispered, “You know what? I think Miyasaki is a wizard.”

Minho smiled as he glanced over at Kibum’s silhouette. “I think you’re right.”

Most nights, after Mom and Dad thought they had all gone to bed, Minseok would come into Minho’s room and he would ask them questions about Hogwarts and they would regale him with stories about their experience so far. It was nice for him to be able to talk freely about school at home, but it was also fun to watch Kibum get to talk about it, too.

His eyes would light up with each new question that Minseok had for them, and his voice got really fast as he tried to pack as much information -- relative to the question or not -- into each of his answers.

Had Kibum always had dimples? They seemed to be showing up more and more as his visit continued and he felt more comfortable with Minseok...maybe Minho just didn’t notice before.

“Minho, is something wrong?”

“Hm, what?” He blinked, meeting Kibum’s eye as the dimple on his cheek disappeared.

Kibum snorted and Minseok laughed. “You’ve just been staring at me.”

“Sorry, I, uh, I was trying to remember the, uh, wand motions for the spell you were referring to.”

“Petrificus Totalus?”

Sure. Whatever.

Kibum grabbed a licorice wand from the pile of candy he got out of his satchel and did the motion, and Minho nodded, taking the licorice from him and eating it with a grin when Kibum rolled his eyes.

On Kibum’s last night in the Choi household, Minho and Kibum decided to share some Bertie Bott’s beans with Minseok, but not tell him the secret. Kibum poured the entire box into his hand, dividing them evenly between the three of them. He passed Minho’s his with a quick wink.

“Oh, these are just jelly beans,” Minseok said, popping one into his mouth.

When he did not react right away, Minho let out a pent-up breath. “Yeah,” Kibum said as he nonchalantly picked through his. “I didn’t know you guys had them, too.”

Minseok scoffed. “Where’d you think you guys got the idea from?” he asked as he popped a mottled brown bean in his mouth. Dirt...Minho bit his lip to keep from laughing. Minseok grimaced as he chewed and shivered as he swallowed before he grabbed a bright green one. Vomit. Minho saw Kibum start to look toward him and he made himself turn away. “What the fuck?” he sputtered, spitting out the remnants for the bean.

All three were laughing so hard that Dad had to come upstairs to tell them to quiet down and go to bed. After Minseok left the room, they could hear him brushing his teeth for five straight minutes. Both Minho and Kibum couldn’t stop giggling, especially after Minho tried to sober himself enough to say, “It’s not that funny.”

Morning came all too soon, unfortunately.

It wasn’t even nine in the morning by the time Mom had he and Kibum out the door and on the way to the train station. It was stupid to be sad that he wouldn’t be around the house anymore. It had only been a week, but Minho had grown rather accustomed to being with Kibum night and day.

His room would feel so empty, now.

“Got all your stuff?” Mom asked Kibum, who nodded.

All three of them piled out of the car and headed inside, Minho and Kibum hanging back while Mom paid for his ticket with the money Grandma sent.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Minho wanted to say, but he held his tongue. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back, knocking shoulders with Kibum and grinning when he acted affronted. “I’m coming over in two weeks, right?”

“That’s the plan, so I certainly hope so.” Kibum’s smiled dimmed slightly when Mom started back toward them, handing Kibum his ticket. “Thank you for letting me stay with you, Mrs. Choi.”

“You’re welcome, Kibum. It was no trouble at all.”

He nodded, glancing between the two of them before he waved goodbye to Minho with a dimpled smile. As Kibum started to walk away, Mom’s arm rested across Minho’s shoulder, and she guided him toward the exit. He looked back for one last glimpse of Kibum, but he was already gone.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Do you think we’ll make it in time?”

Kibum’s grip tightened on the handle as the Knight Bus made a rapid turn around a corner. He and Grandma had set out for Nottingham Station about five minutes ago, which was about twenty minutes later than they were expecting. Mrs. Prue, one of their neighbors, came over to get a couple pinches of powdered unicorn horn from Grandma’s store and the two ended up talking for much longer than Kibum would have liked.

Minho’s train was supposed to be in at noon, and it was ten till that when Grandma hailed the Knight Bus.

“I’m sure we will, sweetheart. And if not, it’s not the end of the world.”

He pouted a little as he peeked outside at the blur of the passing scenery. The bus stopped three more times -- either to let passengers off or on -- before they reached Nottingham Station. Once it came to a stop, Grandma grabbed Kibum’s sleeve before he could bolt for the exit. “Why don’t you go get him and come right back? That way we don’t have to wait for the bus again.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She stood, following him to the door so she could speak to the driver and the shrunken head and ask them to wait for a moment.

Once his feet hit the pavement, Kibum took off toward the entrance, scanning the crowd once he was inside. He was about to call out for Minho, but then he saw him coming out of the restroom. He waved with he spotted Kibum, jogging around people to meet him by the door.

“Hey,” Minho said once he reached him, his voice a little breathless.

“Hi.” He grinned and Kibum couldn’t help but follow suit, but before he got too distracted -- “We gotta go, the bus is waiting.”

“Oh, shit, okay.” He followed Kibum out the door, running across the sidewalk to where the Knight Bus sat idling.

“Took ya long enough!” the shrunken head said when they hurried up the steps.

Minho gasped, grabbing the back of Kibum’s shirt as he stared open-mouthed at the shrunken head. Kibum pulled him along before the head could say anything sarcastic, leading him to where Grandma sat on one of the only bolted down seats on the entire bus. He set his backpack down on the ground before he greeted her with a hug.

“How have you been, darling?” she asked as he sat beside her -- on a non-bolted down seat. Kibum suppressed a smile as he held onto the strap before them.

“Good. What about you, Grandma?”

Any possible conversation from Minho died when the bus jolted forward, swerving madly around in the Muggle traffic on its way out of the Nottingham Station parking lot. By the time they reached home, Minho was clinging to the closest bar for dear life. “Come on, buddy,” Kibum said with a laugh, patting his arm to remind Minho to let go.

They helped Grandma inside and Minho dropped his backpack at the door as he slipped off his shoes, staring at the inside of Kibum’s home with bright-eyed amazement.

The walls were painted a rich mustard, but ivy from the potted plants in the living room crept along the walls and the ceiling, twisting around the banister leading upstairs. Handwoven rugs lined the hall, and Kibum followed him down to the kitchen, both sitting at the counter as Grandma put a kettle on.

“Your house feels like the common room!”

She smiled at Minho as she started making three teabags. “That’s what Kibum said.”

Kibum’s eyes widened when Minho stiffened beside him. He cleared his throat. “When did Jjong’s mom say he’d be done with his guitar lessons?”

“Not sure. I think she said 1 o’clock. Need something, dear?” Kibum glanced over at Minho, who was staring at the icebox.

“I’m really thirsty.” She nodded and moved to get him a glass and fill it from the sink next to the icebox. He drank it in one drink, swallowing thickly. “Would you like more?” she asked as the kettle started to sing.

“I can get it.” He hopped off the chair and went around the counter to pour himself another glass. “Oh, hey, that’s us!” Minho gestured to the polaroids posted on the icebox. He sipped the water and inspected the pictures as Grandma poured their tea behind him. His hand froze in front of one -- at this distance, Kibum couldn’t tell which on it was -- and when Grandma had set their tea on the counter, it was gone and Minho was back in his seat.

Minho started at the sound of the phone ringing, which was rather loud compared to the sound of his mom’s cell phone. Grandma was quick to answer it. “Oh, Sandra, hello!”

Really? Mrs. Prue again? Sighing, Kibum looked over at Minho. “This’ll take a while.”

“Can we take the tea to your room?”

“Oh, yeah! Grab your stuff and I’ll show you where it is.”

Minho followed Kibum to his room, closing the door behind him as soon as he stepped inside. “So, this is it,” Kibum said, gesturing to the small room.

It was a little smaller than Minho’s bedroom, or maybe it just felt that way with how much more stuff Kibum had stuffed in his room. Grandma had charmed the bed to stretch to a queen size, so they could share it instead of making Minho sleep on the very uncomfortable couch downstairs. All along the walls hung the many polaroids from their first two years at school, as well as prints from around the world that Mom took for work. He glanced back at Minho to see his reaction, but found him staring at the polaroid in his hands.

Kibum’s heart sank. If it was the one he took from off the icebox... “I can explain.”

Minho met his eyes, his mouth twisted in a sort of frown. He moved past him to the bed, dropping his backpack at the foot before he sat down. When he tossed the polaroid to the side, Kibum joined him on the bed, picking up the picture. Yup, it was his favorite from his stay in the Hufflepuff dorm, when he was bugging Minho in the common room while he was reading.

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna show her any of these,” he said, his voice quiet.

“I...wasn’t planning on it, but...”

“But, what? You couldn’t help it?”

Kibum’s brow furrowed. “Don’t take that tone with me, you don’t understand.”

“Really? I don’t?”

“You’re family aren’t...” He stopped, shutting his mouth quickly. The door downstairs opened and closed, both of them distracted by the noise. Kibum went to his closet door, opening it and nodding for Minho to get inside. His brow furrowed in utter confusion but he stepped inside and Kibum followed him in, mostly closing the door behind him. “I just don’t want us to be overheard.”

“Mm.” For a moment, the only sound in the closet was their quiet breathing, but Minho soon broke the silence. “I know I’m just a Muggle-born -- “

Kibum squeezed his eyes shut. “Minho, I didn’t mean -- “

“ -- so I don’t understand what it means to be a legacy or whatever at Hogwarts, but I do know you.” Kibum opened his eyes, meeting Minho’s gaze. “It’s gotta be eating you up inside, not being truthful with her. How much longer are you gonna put yourself through this...this stress?”

"I...don't know." Sighing, Kibum shook his head. “You...you won’t tell her this week, will you?”

“Of course not.” Kibum slumped back, his head knocking back against the wall. “It’s not my secret to tell. I won’t mention it again once we step outside the closet.”

“Thank you. And Min?” He glanced at him, his eyebrows raising in question. “I’m sorry for even implying that...because you’re Muggle-born...you...”

Minho’s expression softened. “It’s okay, Bummie, I know you didn’t mean it like that.” He opened his arms and pulled Kibum into a hug. “Are we good?” he mumbled into Kibum’s shoulder.

“Yea -- “

Both froze when Kibum’s bedroom door opened. “Ki?” Oh, it was only Jonghyun. “Grandma said you guys would be up...here...” He opened the ajar closet door, looking up at both of them in bewilderment. “What the hell are you guys doing?”

Slowly, Minho dropped his arms from around Kibum and Kibum took a step back. Minho shrugged and shook his head while Kibum said, “You mean you don’t often hug your friends in closets?”

Jonghyun snorted. “Well, I mean, yeah,” he said as he stepped inside the closet to give Kibum and then Minho a quick hug. “So, what's up, guys?”

* * * * * * * * * *

Minho felt sort of stupid, now.  
He had been quite nervous -- and he kept it from Kibum -- about seeing Jonghyun again. They had only seen each other for maybe ten whole minutes last summer, and, yeah they had gotten along for those ten minutes, but he was here for a full week.

Being greeted with a warm smile and hug? Almost totally eradicated his nervousness, which was a relief. After about a minute of him talking about his music lesson, his eyes widened. “Oh my god, I forgot! Follow me!”

Minho glanced at Kibum, who looked equally confused, and they both followed him downstairs and out the door. Jonghyun had the backyard gate open and closed it behind them. “What are we doing, Jj -- “

“Wait, wait!” He called out behind him, and ran through the back door.

“What do you think it is?” Minho whispered.

“Could be either really good or really stupid. Last time it was a kazoo he found in the street.” Minho couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t long before Jonghyun rejoin them outside, a gray and black speckled puppy writhing in his arms in an effort to lick his chin. Kibum gasped, hurrying to meet him and pet the puppy’s head with the tips of her fingers. “I love him.”

“Her.”

“Her. What’s her name?”

“Byulroo.“

Kibum frowned. “Why call her that? It seems rude.”

"We found her in a box on the side of the read on the way home from my lesson. Mom said something like: ‘Oh, that’s really not good,’ and she sorta yipped after that so that’s what I decided to name her.”

Minho held his hand still as she licked his fingers. “She’s so cute.”

“Isn’t she?” Jonghyun grinned up at him before looking back at Byulroo. “You’re so precious. I love you so much.” He cleared his throat, his voice switching from baby-talk to back to normal. “What are we doing today?”

Both Minho and Jonghyun looked at Kibum. “Not sure, but Mom will be home soon and we’re planning on going to Diagon Alley because I need new robes.” He glanced between them. “Other than that, I don’t know.”

“Mind if I come with?”

Kibum looked over at Minho, who gave him the slightest nod. “Sure, if you want, I don’t mind.”

It didn’t take long before Kibum’s mom came home. She found them rather easily, as all three were...loudly giddy at Byulroo’s -- or Roo, as Jonghyun had nicknamed her -- presence. The tiny puppy was soon safely inside with Jonghyun’s mom and sister and the boys were all tucked into the back seat of Kibum’s mom’s car.

On the way to The Leaky Cauldron, Minho and Kibum silently agreed to torment Jonghyun, who had the misfortune of sitting in the middle of the back seat. Kibum kept poking his side, nodding for Minho to do the same after a moment. By the time they reached the pub, Jonghyun had trapped both of their hands in his, tightening his grip when either of them tried to make a move against him.

The lanes between the shops of Diagon Alley were bustling with the back to school crowd, so the boys huddled behind Mrs. Kim as she led them to Madam Malkin’s. When she stepped inside, Kibum turned to them. “Hey, if you want to wait with me, that’s fine, but if you want to look around that’s fine, too.”

Jonghyun patted Minho’s back. “We’ll look around.”

“Meet us at Fortescue’s, I think.”

“Will do.” Kibum nodded, turning around and heading inside. “Do you have all of your school shopping done?” Jonghyun asked once the door swung shut.

“Yeah, Mom and I came once we got the list.”

“Ah.” Both were quiet for a moment. For Minho’s part, he was feeling slightly awkward at being alone with Jonghyun for the first time. It was probably the same for Jonghyun. He stepped back from the stairs as Jonghyun descended them.

“Do...do you miss Hogwarts?” Minho asked as they started walking down the lane.

“Well,” Jonghyun said, drawing out the word. “Yes and no. I wish I could be there with you two because I feel like that’d be so much fun. And I really got along well with Flitwick -- my head of house.”

“Oh, right! Kibum mentioned that you were in Ravenclaw.”

Jonghyun smiled fondly. “Yeah. But I really like Beauxbatons, too. And since I’ve been there longer, it feels more like home than Hogwarts does.”

“Have you learned any French?”

“ _Oui_ /,” he said with a quick wink, and Minho grinned, turning to hide his slight blush. “My new house is Merprin, which is basically the equivilent of Ravenclaw over there.”

Jonghyun answered any questions Minho had about the differences between the schools as they walked in and out of shops, not paying much mind to which shops they walked into. Much to both their surprise, they were soon assaulted by an overwhelming concoction of perfumes and incense.

“Oh god,” Jonghyun muttered and Minho sneezed twice before the left the shop. “So, that reminds me...one time PJ -- PIerre, one of the roommates I mentioned -- decided to douse Vincent’s pillow in his sister’s perfume.”

“Oh no...”

“Yeah, our room stunk for days, it was bad.”

“I can imagine. One time,” he held back a laugh at the memory. “One time Taemin, one of my friends back in Korea, came to school with a mustache drawn on his face in permanent marker. His older brother did it when he was sleeping.”

“Did he know?”

“Not until second period.”

“Oh my god. Wait...” he stopped, grabbing the sleeve of Minho’s shirt to make him stop, too. “That gives me an idea.” He explained on his way to the ice cream parlor, but it sounded like all they would need to prank Kibum one of these nights was some of Sodam’s new lipstick. “You like chocolate?” Minho nodded, and Jonghyun stepped inside as he gestured for him to wait outside.

Minho settled into one of the chairs, letting out a sigh as he watched the crowd. He spotted Travis and Tanner going into the broomstick shop, but they didn’t see him.

It was nice getting to know Jonghyun. Based on all of Kibum’s stories, he almost sure that he would like him a lot, but he was happy and even relieved that that was turning out to be the case. He searched the lane and soon found Madam Malkin’s shop. As much fun as he was having with Jonghyun, he was looking forward to Kibum’s return.

“Here you go!” Minho looked up at the sound of Jonghyun’s sing-song voice, smiling when he saw the proffered chocolate milkshake.

“Thanks.” Jonghyun sat across from him, sipping happily at his own strawberry milkshake while Minho pulled his straw out and licked the whipped cream off of it before sticking it back in. He glanced over at Jonghyun when he felt his eyes on him, his expression surprisingly sober. “What is it?”

“There’s, uh, something I want to say...and...now that I know you a little better, I think I can.” Minho gulped, dread settling in his chest. Jonghyun continued. “I don’t know how much Kibum has told you about his...well, I don’t want to call it ‘his past’ because that sounds a little weird but that’s what it is. Anyways, I don’t know how much he’s said, but it hasn’t exactly been easy for him.”

“Right.”

“Like,” he paused to drink more of his shake, “He’s moved around a lot and because of that it’s hard for him to keep whatever friendships had. You won’t tell him I told you this -- “ Minho shook his head. “ -- but when he found out that I would be in France during the school year because of my parents' divorce, he cried. Several times, I think.”

“Oh, no...”

“He tried to keep it from me, but the day before I left, he was helping me pack and he started to tear up when he asked me to remember to write to him. Grandma says he has problems with feeling abandoned.”

Minho looked down at his straw before he took a long sip. Maybe that was part of why he kept lying to Grandma about being in Slytherin...because he thought she’d abandon him. It would make sense.

“I’m saying all that to, well, thank you, I guess.”

“Thank me?”

“For being such a great friend to him. God, I can’t tell you how many goddamn letters I’ve gotten where he’s telling me about all the stupid stuff you two do together.” Both of them chuckled, and Minho kept sipping his shake. “He deserves only the best, so I’m glad he has you.”

“And you.”

“Yes, well, that goes without saying.” Minho almost spit his milkshake out and Jonghyun laughed loudly, turning the heads of the people walking into the ice cream parlor.

“What’s so funny?” Kibum asked, Minho jumping at his seemingly sudden reappearance. When neither Minho nor Jonghyun answered immediately, he gestured for Minho to pass him his shake. “Did you guys have fun?” he asked in between sips.

Jonghyun met Minho’s eyes with a smile. “Yeah, we did.”

When they got home, Jonghyun left them to go back to his house. Grandma had dinner practically ready by the time they stepped inside, and Kibum joined her in the kitchen to get the dishes to set the table. Minho straightened his and Kibum’s shoes by the door before he hurried to help him.

Each meal Grandma made during Minho’s visit either reminded him of being back in Korea or being back at Hogwarts.

In the days that followed, Minho and Kibum -- and sometimes Jonghyun -- helped Grandma tend to her backyard garden. The first time Minho saw it, he stood on the porch in awe for a second before Kibum pulled him along with a laugh. It almost looked as though one of the greenhouses at school had been transplanted here in Nottingham.

Apparently, Grandma supplied ingredients to the apothecary in Diagon Alley, which is why Mrs. Prue was over as often as she was since she was one of the healers on staff there.

There were plants there that Minho didn’t recognize, but luckily Grandma sat out on the porch, very much willing to answer any questions he or Kibum may have had while she knitted. Somedays, she let them be, leaving at the appearance of Mrs. Kim.

One day, when Jonghyun was over to help them, Grandma and Mrs. Kim were about to leave. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she told them with a wink.

All three of them nodded, but Kibum waited until the door was closed behind her to say, “Sprout told me _a lot_ of stories. We have more leeway than you might think.”

After dinner most nights, Minho and Kibum took turns showering before they went to bed. Once the lights were out and they were tucked in, they discussed the coming year and how excited they were about the prospect of having different choices for electives.

“I’m thinking about taking Muggle Studies,” Kibum said one night, and Minho hummed in response. “What, don’t you think it’ll be interesting?”

“I mean, probably, but what would I learn from that?”

“True.” He glanced over to where Kibum laid but saw only darkness. “I mean, I guess we don’t have to take the same electives. At least one, I think, if you want.”

“Divination?”

Kibum snorted. “That works. Which other one do you want to take?”

“My dad said I had to take Arithmancy, since that’s the closest one to math which makes it practical.”

“Hm. Good luck with that.”

Minho chuckled. “Thanks.”

One of the nights, closer to the end of Minho’s visit, Jonghyun invited them over to have a camp out in his backyard, complete with the Muggle treats s’mores -- “That’s what they’re called, right?” Minho nodded, amused. Jonghyun’s mom, the other Mrs. Kim, trapped a flame in a jar for them to roast their marshmallows with before she left them to their own devices.

Once the s'mores were eaten and the flame was extinguished, they laid huddled together, reading their fortunes in the stars through the clear ceiling of Jonghyun’s tent. They started out sort of serious, but it soon turned into them concocting the wildest stories for each other just to make the others laugh.

Kibum was the first to fall asleep, his head lolling over to rest on Minho’s shoulder. Minho froze, glancing up at Jonghyun when he pulled a tube of lipstick out of his shorts pocket. He continued to hold still for several minutes, to make sure that Kibum really was asleep, before he nodded. Jonghyun drew all over Kibum’s face as gently as he could, so as to not wake him up, before he passed it over to Minho.

“Your turn.”

Red was streaked all over Kibum’s face, his lips smeared into a terrifying smile. To be quite honest, there really wasn’t anywhere else to draw. Except...Minho carefully uncapped the lipstick with one hand and drew a small circle on the tip of Kibum’s nose.

“Perfect.”

When morning came, Minho was woken to a pillow hitting him in the face. Kibum stood over him, his face and hands stained red in an attempted to clean off the lipstick. The pillow in his hands poised to hit him again. And hit him again it did when Minho burst out laughing.

“It was...Jonghyun’s idea!” he yelled between smacks.

“You swear?”

“I promise.”

Kibum started to turn away, but paused. “Did you draw any of it?”

Minho’s eyes widened and he pointed to the tip of his nose. He half-yelled, half-laughed when Kibum hit him with the pillow again before he ran back inside. Minho quickly wrapped himself up in his blanket, shuffling after him into the house to help him.

Or Jonghyun.

He hadn’t decided yet.

* * * * * * * * * *

Heat, as well as the smells of pumpkin and warm spices, radiated from the kitchen. Kibum wiped away the sweat on his brow, internally reminding himself that his current discomfort would be worth it, in the end.

It was Minho’s last full day there, so Grandma was giving him a first-hand lesson on how she makes pumpkin pasties.

Kibum turned the page of his book, humming to himself. Really, he wasn’t all that focused on the book – the page was nothing but a blur of black and white – he was just trying to distract himself. Looking away from the book and into the kitchen, he saw a very concentrated Minho rolling out the dough, flour dusted across his chin and cheeks and hair.

He smiled to himself as he tried to refocus on his book, only to be distracted again by the front door opening and closing.

Jonghyun dropped into the armchair across from him, the discarded copies of a week’s worth of Daily Prophet’s crinkling beneath him. “Wanna do something?”

“Nah, I’m reading.”

Jonghyun glanced down at the book, smirking. “It’s upside down, genius.”

Kibum blushed to the tips of his ears as he flipped the book right side up. “Don’t you have Roo to play with?”

“Mom took her to get shots or something.”

There came a clatter from the kitchen, and Kibum looked over to find just Grandma standing there. Minho popped up a second later, rolling pin in hand. “Maybe you should just roll it out,” he said.

“No, honey, you’ve got to learn this for yourself.”

Kibum glanced back at Jonghyun before focusing on his book again, only to do a double take and stare at him. His chin was resting on his hands, and he let out a long sigh with a dreamy sort of smile as he fluttered his eyelashes at Kibum.

He blinked once, twice, before he lowered his voice to a whisper. “What the…fuck are you doing?”

“What? Is this not how friends look at each other? With soft adoration?”

Kibum’s face was ablaze, he knew it and he knew Jonghyun could see it, judging by his growing smile. “Soft adoration? Did you learn that in your creative writing class?”

“Maybe so. Doesn’t make it not true for you, though.” Kibum rolled his eyes and went back to re-reading the same sentence for the fifth time.

He made it through a full two pages by the time the pumpkin pasties were ready to eat. Minho brought one in for them both and waited anxiously for them to eat theirs. Kibum ate his quickly, despite it being too warm, savoring it as much as he could.

“This turned out really good. Good job, Min,” Jonghyun said before he directed a pointed stare at Kibum.

“Yeah,” Kibum said, clearing his throat. “Really good.”

Minho beamed at them both, and Kibum looked back down at his book with a sigh.

The next day dawned too soon, taking Minho away on the early morning train. Kibum stared out the window of the Knight Bus. “See you soon!” Minho had said when he let him go before he started to walk away.

“Yeah, in five weeks.”

Minho turned back around, his smile reaching his eyes. “That’s still soon.”

Kibum imagined the blur of the scenery was the train that Minho was on, and he couldn’t help but wish that they lived a little closer. Regardless, school would be here before he knew it, so he might as well enjoy the rest of summer while it lasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guess what today is?? It's a year since I posted the very first chapter of this fic on Tumblr! Which is crazy to think about. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ^^


	22. Troublesome Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several long minutes passed, and when the last cup was down Trelawney opened her eyes. “When you are sure the tea is drained, pass it to your chosen partner and open your _Unfogging the Future_ to pages five and six, and begin your readings.”
> 
> “You think it’s ready?” Kibum whispered, peeking under his overturned teacup with Minho turned to the right pages.
> 
> “Sure.”

Excitement thrummed through the Great Hall, even before the owls made their appearance. The first couple days of school were always charged with such enthusiasm – with the first years eager to see if Hogwarts lived up to their expectations, the seventh years anticipating the end of the term, even at the beginning of the year, and everyone in between ready and waiting to prove themselves in this new term.

It was always fun, while it lasted.

Kibum poured himself a second bowl of Pixie Puffs as he listened to Analecia talk about her family trip over the summer to visit her grandparents in Spain. Based on her descriptions alone, the Gràcia Festival in Barcelona was something that he wanted to see for himself someday, if possible.

“Third years, right?” They both looked up, as did Callum and Aaron across from them. Marjory Phillips, Slytherin’s new Head Girl, looked at them over the huge stack of papers in her arms.

“Yeah, we are,” Aaron said.

Marjory licked the forefinger of her free hand and sifted through the papers, her green and silver nail polish glittering in the light of the hovering candles. She passed one to each of them, moving on to the next cluster of students before they could thank her.

Kibum scanned his copy quickly to see which classes he shared with Minho this year. Divination, History of Magic, and Astronomy were all a given, but… “Charms and Herbology, okay.”

“Hmm?” He glanced over at Analecia, who was still studying her schedule.

“Nothing.”

He took one last bite of his cereal before he got up and started for the door. Footsteps pounded behind him, and Kibum smiled, knowing exactly who it was without having to turn around. Minho’s arm slung over his shoulder, holding him close for a second before letting him go.

“Hey, buddy. How’s your morning?” he asked as they started down the steps to the basement.

“Okay, so far. Getting settled into your new room?”

“Yeah.” They both stopped in the corner of the basement hallway, deciding whether to head to Hufflepuff or Slytherin first. Kibum nodded toward Slytherin, and Minho followed him down the darker hallway. “I’m a little sad – “

“Oh, no. Why?”

“ – because they finally ripped out that Christmas tree we planted in first year.”

Minho pouted for a second. “Probably Filch.”

“Probably, yeah.” They stopped before the empty brick wall, and Kibum fished his wand out of his pocket. “Argenti anguis,” he said, tapping the right brick three times. Both of them took a step back as the wall took itself apart to let them inside. Kibum stepped through, glancing back at the darkened hallway where Minho still stood. “You coming?”

“Is…that okay?”

Kibum scoffed. “Yeah, why not?”

Tentatively, Minho stepped inside, looking around the common room. It had been almost two years since he had been inside Slytherin. It wasn’t a huge deal to have students from other houses come into Slytherin, although, they were usually guests of the older students.

Both of them kicked off their shoes, leaving them on the rug of four intertwining serpents as Kibum lead him to his new room. It wasn’t much different than the other two, though the beds seemed slightly bigger, if possible. He flipped up his bed skirt, revealing his textbooks – both old and new.

“How much time do we have?” Minho asked as he slipped Kibum’s schedule out of his robe pocket.

Aaron’s alarm clock read _8:50_. “I’ve got five minutes. You’ve got ten.”

Minho nodded, pulling out _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ and dropping it on Kibum’s bed. “Today is Friday, right?”

“Yeah.”

_Unfogging the Future_ joined _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ on Kibum’s bed. “Divination on the first day…are we ready for that?”

“Not sure,” Kibum pulled _A History of Magic_ and the third volume of _The Standard Book of Spells_ out and placed them on his lap before he grabbed the other two textbooks. “You tell me…What are you doing?”

Minho’s face morphed into this mock-serious expression, his eyebrows scrunching almost comically. He placed his fingertips on Kibum’s temples and hummed quietly as he struggled not to smile. “Hmmm…my mind’s eye is telling me…the vision is a little foggy but…it’s telling me…” he dropped his hands and opened his eyes, grinning as he tried not to laugh. “…nothing. It’s telling me nothing. I got it removed in ‘96.”

Kibum coughed back a laugh. “Oh, did you.”

“Yes. It was traumatizing.”

Both burst into giggles, Kibum shoving Minho away before he collapsed against his shoulder until he could catch his breath. After a second of calmness, Kibum looked up at the clock again. _8:56_. “Oh, shit, I’ve gotta go to class.” He helped Minho up and they hurried to the door. “Meet me by the stairs after class?” Kibum asked as he shoved his feet into his already-tied shoes.

“Sure.”

“Good luck!” He called out as he started for the stairs once again.

* * * * * * * * * *

Panted breaths and heavy footfalls echoed in the stairwell up to the third floor. Once they reached the top, Minho stopped and rested against the banister with Travis and Rhesa for a second. After a moment, they continued on, but Minho remained.

“Aren’t you coming?” Rhesa asked.

Minho turned from where he was leaning on the curled end of the banister on the third floor, looking up at them. “No,” Travis answered her before Minho could. “He’s waiting for Kibum.” 

“Yeah, we’ll be up there soon. It’s in the North Tower, right?”

Rhesa nodded, and they resumed their trek up the stairs, followed by several other Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. When the first of the Ravenclaws passed him, Minho perked up, watching the stream of third-year students coming out of Classroom 3C for Kibum. Soon, however, the stream became a trickle until there were no more students coming down the hall.

But still, no Kibum.

Minho adjusted his backpack and started down the corridor, his pace picking up once Classroom 3C was in sight. As soon as he reached the open doorway, Kibum was coming out. Both jumped, Kibum clutching his armful of parchment rolls and textbooks to his chest as he let out a deep breath.

“What took you so long?” Minho asked, turning around so Kibum could get into his backpack.”

“Sorry.” He stuffed one of his books inside. “I accidentally spilled ink all over my notes.“

“Oh no!”

“It’s okay. O’Neely helped me.”

“Oh.” Minho looked down the empty hall. “Ready?”

Kibum zipped Minho’s backpack back up, patting it. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

They started down the corridor, hurrying to catch up to their classmates, who were nowhere to be found. The journey to the North Tower was quite the trek, even from where they were on the third floor. It took far longer than it should to get there, with the changing staircases and the misdirection from the well-meaning paintings. After another seemingly wrong turn, Minho spotted Peeves throwing buttons at a hissing Mrs. Norris in an abandoned classroom.

Sighing heavily, he looked over at Kibum. “Should we ask Pe -- “

“Minho,” he said, his voice laced with exasperation. “I know we’re lost as hell but are we really at our last resort?” There was a flicker of movement in their peripheral and Minho glanced up. Oh, no...he spotted them. Kibum grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the doorway and they took off down the hall. “We don’t talk to him! Remember what happened last time?”

“Shh!” Minho pulled his hand back, glancing around. “Someone could hear you.”

“Who? Who the f -- “

“Beware!” Kibum froze, his gaze flicking to Minho as both of their eyes widened. “Beware, young comrade, as a foul slip of the tongue when fair maidens are present is unchivalrous!”

Minho peeked over Kibum’s head and stared at the painted knight who stood in a windy, grassy field, leaning against a rather fat and dappled pony. Two Ravenclaw girls were standing at the foot of the painting, amused as they watched he and Kibum approach them. 

“We were just asking Cadogan -- “

“SIR!” the knight bellowed, Minho flinching as his voice rang through the landing.

“-- right, yeah, _Sir_ Cadogan how to get to the classroom.”

Sir Cadogan lifted his visor and cleared his throat. "It is quite simple. All one needs to do is -- "

“Yeah, yeah, we heard you the first time. Come on, guys,” one of the girls said, the other waving for Kibum and Minho to follow them into a room with a narrow, spiral staircase. The girls stopped and glanced at each other, one of them stepping up on the first step while the other moved aside. “You two can go first.”

“No, really, you two go,” Minho said. The one on the steps gulped and smoothed her skirt as she averted her eyes. Kibum let out a small little _oh_ before he started to climb the stairs, motioning for Minho to follow him. “What was that about?” Minho whispered when they reached the second flight of stairs.

“I think they didn’t want to risk us looking up their skirts, even if it was an accident.”

“Ohhh...”

“Come on.” There were another couple flights of stairs, each one narrower than the last. Now feeling a little dizzy, Minho and Kibum staggered into the small, circular room at the top where all the other students were waiting.

“Took you long enough,” someone muttered when the Ravenclaw girls joined them.

A sharp creaking from above stopped any conversation, and everyone looked up to see what was causing it. An elaborate trapdoor in the ceiling was opened, a warm crimson light seeping out from the circular opening. There was a flash of silver, and the crowd parted as a thin rope ladder descended in the midst of them. 

“I guess...we’re supposed to climb it?” Someone on the opposite side of the room said.

“Yeah, no shit.” Several people laughed, Minho and Kibum included. 

“Ladies first,” Damien said with a deceptively kind smile -- Minho knew better than to believe it. 

When Chelsea stepped up to the rope, Minho surged forward and swiped it out of her hands. “No, we will,” he said, looking directly at Damien, who’s smile faltered slightly. He hoped no one noticed how his hand was shaking on the ladder when he looked back at Chelsea and the girls behind her. “Do...do you guys mind?”

A relieved _not at all_ seemed to be the consensus from the girls, so Minho handed Damien the ladder and stepped back as he started to climb it. He glanced over at Kibum, who gave him a quick nod before Minho followed Damien up. Minho was preparing himself on the climb up for a probable confrontation with Damien, only to find him standing there with his mouth slightly agape. 

The air itself was a dusty pink, permeated by the crimson light shining through the draperies and the smoke from the incense that perfumed the room with the scent of jasmine and rose. Minho struggled not to sneeze as he climbed into the room. The professor, Trelawney, he thought her name was, sat in a plush armchair by the roaring fire. Her eyes were closed, but she followed their movement into the room.

“Just take a seat wherever you feel is best, my children,” she said, her voice a soothing whisper. “Ah, not there, Mr. Brent, there is some lingering chocolate that will stain your pants.” Damien shot out of the seat he was about to take and moved to another. 

More boys filed into the classroom, Minho keeping a close watch for Kibum from his seat closest to the wall of teacups. When he finally appeared, Minho waved him over through the perfumed haze. “What took you so long?” he asked as Kibum sat cross-legged on the ottoman across from him.

“I was the last guy.” 

One by one, the girls came through the trap door, and once Analecia closed the door behind her and was in her seat, Trelawney opened her eyes, her voice floating to them through the haze, almost like they were underwater and she was speaking to them from the shore.

“Welcome, one and all, to Divination. I am Professor Trelawney, and I will be your spiritual mentor and guide for the rest of your years spent on these hallowed grounds.” 

“Is she referring to the classroom, or...” Kibum let his whispered thought trail off when her wide, glasses-magnified eyes glanced their way. 

“Perhaps I am not as familiar to you as the other professors.” Which was true. Minho only remembered seeing her at the opening and closing feasts of the year. “As it is, I find it exceeding difficult to traverse the halls. It fogs the mind’s eye to always be immersed in society. 

“I almost regret to inform you, my dears, that not everyone will be gifted in this, the most difficult of all the magical arts. If you do not have the Sight, there’s only so much I can teach you, as your spiritual mentor. Do not think that if you are talented in the violent or abrasive magic of waving your wand about that your skills will carry over to this, the gentler and mysterious magic of looking into the beyond and gaining insight on the future. 

“Sadly, for most, the gift of sight is granted to but a few. You, my child,” she pointed to the opposite side of the room to Rhesa. “Your familiar, how does she fair?”

“...Fine?” 

Trelawney's expression pursed to one of great sorrow and concern. Minho thought he could see tears fogging up her thick glasses. “I hope I am wrong, then, for your sake.”

She turned back to the class, continuing as though nothing had happened. 

“For those gifted few, as well as the rest of you, I will be guiding you through the most basic methods of Divination -- my dear, please stop tapping the table with your toe, or else you’ll break my favorite piece of china, “ she said as she glided past Travis, who scoffed when he glanced down at his and Rhesa’s empty table. “ -- which include the art of reading tea leaves, then palmistry, followed by fire omens, and, if we have indeed recovered from his -- “ she gestured to Millicent across the room, “ -- tragic mishap with his wand, then we’ll be able to return to this classroom and continue our study of crystal balls.”

Trelawney sat back against the table before her chair, the firelight tracing her in a glowing orange aura. “Now, if you would, Mr. Choi,” Minho froze in his seat, dreading what pronouncement might follow his name. “Please bring me the largest teapot you can find, and the rest of you, divide yourselves into pairs.”

He gulped as he stood up, and searched the wall of shelves full of teapots, teacups, and saucers on the other side of Kibum. When he spotted the largest one, a silver one, he stepped down onto the bright red shag carpet and cautiously made his way over to where Trelawney was. She gave him a solemn nod before he hurried back to Kibum.

“Now, if you would all make your way to the wall and choose the teacup and saucer that speaks to you. They do not have to match!” she added as they all started to get up from their seats. “And Mr. Reed, be sure to take two and set one to the side.” Travis frowned at her as they all got up to find a teacup for themselves. 

“Once you have your tea, go ahead and drink it, leaving but a thimbleful in the bottom. With your left hand, swirl your teacup three times and place it rim-side down on your chosen saucer to allow it to drain.”

Minho picked one with delicate red roses painted on the rim, a thin gold line tracing the brim and the handle and the base. He blew a thin layer of dust out of the cup and started to clean it with the sleeve of his robe. “What’d you get?” he asked Kibum when he stood behind him in line. He held his up, showing Minho the cluster of blue violets painted on the side as he also wiped his clean. 

Once they reached Trelawney, she filled their cups half full and sent them on their way with a wave of her hand. Out of sync slurps were heard all around the room as they struggled to drink their too-hot tea quickly. “Can we ask for sugar?” someone asked behind him, but Trelawney didn’t hear them, as she seemed to be meditating in her seat. 

Or, she was just ignoring the question.

Several long minutes passed, and when the last cup was down Trelawney opened her eyes. “When you are sure the tea is drained, pass it to your chosen partner and open your _Unfogging the Future_ to pages five and six, and begin your readings.”

“You think it’s ready?” Kibum whispered, peeking under his overturned teacup with Minho turned to the right pages. 

“Sure.” Minho turned his over, not even daring to look inside as he passed it to Kibum. “Okay, so it says here that we’re supposed to read counter-clockwise starting at the handle.” He stared at the leaves in Kibum’s cup, trying to find the symbols in them.

“So, this one sorta looks like a ladder,” Kibum glanced back and forth between the textbook and his cup. “Yeah, a ladder, which means...you’re gonna travel? Oh, or wait,” he studied the book again before he squinted at the teacup. “Okay so that was talking about the past, because the bottom half is the past and the top is the future.” 

Minho nodded, scanning the book himself now. “And the left is negative and the right is positive.”

“Right, okay, so you traveled, which is obviously referring to your move here. And...a horseshoe,” he said, turning the cup, “which means success or luck when choosing a partner or friend.”

“That must mean you!” 

“Yes, you were incredibly lucky that you met me.” Minho cracked up and Kibum grinned, both sobering when the watchful eye of Trelawney focused on them for a moment. Clearing his throat, Kibum turned the cup again. “I think this one is a hammer, or...or an axe, which means that you’ll overcome some problems you’ve been having.” 

“Huh, I wonder what that means.” He set Kibum’s cup down and leaned onto the table. “What’s next?” 

He turned the cup some more. “Well, there’s not much. They look kinda like undefined blobs, see?” He tipped the cup toward Minho. It was true, they did look like blobs. “Maybe they’re mountains, which means either powerful friends or enemies. Or maybe they’re clouds? I don’t know, it’s really hard to tell.” 

Across the room came a tinkling crash, and both of them looked to see Travis staring open-mouthed at the broken cup on the floor. “Mr. Reed, if you would bring up your second cup,” Trelawney said without looking up from her palm.

“What about mine?” Kibum asked when everyone went back to their readings.

“Oh, right!” Minho picked up his cup. “So, there’s these squiggly lines just below the handle. That means...that means difficult journey, but since it’s in the bottom that means it’s in the past,” he added when Kibum gulped. “And this one, well, two kinda look like the mashup of a heart and a butterfly, which means you’ll be successful?” 

“Well, that’s good.” 

“Mmhm.” Minho hummed, turning the cup. “Most of it drained on the right side, which is good.” 

“What...about the left?” 

“Well, there’s definitely an arrow, which means bad news is coming. I don’t know how serious that is.” 

“It can’t be good,” Kibum said with a nervous laugh. “Anything else?” 

“Uh...” Minho stared at the symbol -- a coffin, he was sure about that. He didn’t want to tell Kibum, especially after the arrow, but it was in the bottom left, so it was most likely referring to his dad. Still, he didn’t really want to bring it up, especially since it seemed that Kibum was taking this very seriously. “Nope, there’s a couple of specks, but I don’t think they mean anything.” 

Kibum let out a long sigh before lacing his fingers together in his lap. “I wonder what the bad news will be.”

“Probably nothing. You heard her, there’s probably only a few of us that are _gifted with sight_ ,” he said, mimicking her airy tone and grinning when Kibum chuckled. “And that’s probably not me, so...”

"I guess.”

It wasn’t too long after they finished their readings that Trelawney dismissed them. Minho took a huge breath of fresh air when they were free from the trapdoor, Kibum coughing roughly behind him. “Charms is next, right?” Minho asked as they started back down the narrow, winding staircase.

“Yeah!” Minho groaned, and Kibum pulled him along down the hall. “Come on, it won’t be that bad. You’ve been doing so well!”

“But -- “

“Nope, you’re gonna do great again this year, right?” They stopped walking when the staircase started to move. “Right?” Minho nodded, trying not to sigh. “Of course, you will.” They started walking again when the staircase connected to the landing. “You really don’t think the reading was accurate?”

He shook his head. “Of course not,” he said with as much confidence as he could muster.

Kibum took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** If you haven't already, check out my [**Inktober**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16182761/chapters/37814750) project! I'm writing short scenes from this AU for every week of this month ^^_


	23. A Little Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bells in the clock tower chimed, and everyone in Classroom 4F slammed the books shut, hurrying for the door before Professor Binns even stopped talking. History of Magic was their last class for the day, since this was their first half-day of the term. Half-days at Hogwarts came few and far between, and they usually fell on major holidays and the days before vacation
> 
> Today was Halloween, and on top of that, there was a Quidditch game scheduled right after lunch – Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**A/N:** I’m not saying it’s necessary reading, but [these](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16182761/chapters/37814750) are all canon things that have happened between the last chapter and this one that I might be making reference to in this or later chapters...I'm a little behind, as I've been working on getting this chapter out by today (for a friend's birthday) but I promise I'll get caught up within the next couple of days!_

The bells in the clock tower chimed, and everyone in Classroom 4F slammed the books shut, hurrying for the door before Professor Binns even stopped talking. History of Magic was their last class for the day, since this was their first half-day of the term. Half-days at Hogwarts came few and far between, and they usually fell on major holidays and the days before vacation.

Today was Halloween, and on top of that, there was a Quidditch game scheduled right after lunch -- Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor.

“Ready?” Kibum asked Minho as he rolled up their notes and stuffed it into Minho’s backpack.

“I mean,” Minho shrugged before he slipped his backpack on. “I guess.”

“Hey,” he bumped into Minho’s shoulder as they started walking down the corridor on their way to the Great Hall. “At least we’re going to Hogsmeade after.” Minho instantly perked up, his eyes bright as he glanced over at Kibum. “You did remember to get the permission slip signed by your parents, right?”

“Yeah! It was the first thing I did when I got home!” “Good!” They followed the crowd into the Great Hall, Kibum grabbing Minho’s arm before they headed for their tables. “Eat if you’re hungry, okay?” The light in his eyes dimmed slightly, but he nodded as he walked away. Kibum trudged over to his table and slid into his spot beside Analecia. “Excited about Hogsmeade?” she asked him when he started dishing up some soup for himself.

Of course, he was excited. Dad had told him all about the wizarding village years ago. It was where he and Mom had their first date at Madam Puddifoot’s shop. He’d seen the pictures of them around the Shrieking Shack -- which, he had told Kibum specifically to never go there, or else he’d get in trouble. He couldn’t wait to explore the shops with Minho, and Mom had even sent him a couple Galleons to spend during his first visit.

 _Prices have changed, so I don’t know how much it’ll get you, but do be sure to get yourself a treat of some kind_ , she said in her letter.

“I am!” Callum said in Kibum’s stead. “Hopefully the game won’t be too long so we can spend as much time there as we can before the feast tonight.” “Yeah, hopefully.”

Kibum stirred his soup, watching the steam curl off the surface. He was halfway done with his soup by the time the Hufflepuff team made their exit, lead by their new tiny female captain. Meg was her name, if Kibum remembered right. Minho said that Tanner had passed on his captain’s pin and the locker room stereo to her after their final game last year.

She seemed to be treating Minho well, which was all he cared about.

By the time Kibum fished the last potato out of the broth, the Gryffindor team was leaving too, the entire table cheering rowdily as they strolled out of the Great Hall. Kibum rolled his eyes, slurped up the rest of his soup, and stood. “I’m heading down there, anyone want to come with?”

Aaron and Callum shared a look, both shaking their heads. “No, I think we’ll wait until everyone else goes.”

Kibum nodded with a sigh. “Okay.”

He hurried downstairs and to his house, sprinting through the common room to get to his dorm. He changed out of his uniform and into casual clothes -- jeans, Dad’s old _Weird Sisters_ band shirt, and the mustard sweater Grandma made him -- as quickly as he could. Soon, he was running back upstairs and down the corridor that lead out to the lawn.

Heavy gray clouds covered the sky, the petrichor from last night’s rain still hanging in the air. The ground was still wet from it, and it drenched his shoes as he ran across the yard to the pitch. Above the stands, the occasional Quidditch player appeared, their red or yellow robes whipping around them as they flew their practice laps around the pitch.

Kibum ducked into the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time as hurried to his usual seat. He sat up straight, craning his neck, searching the yellow robes for Minho’s _10_. There he was, down on the pitch, talking with Madam Hooch and what looked like Gryffindor’s Seeker. It wasn’t a long conversation, and soon Minho was walking back to where his team was gathering on the field.

He held his hand out before him, and Kibum scooted forward on the bleachers, wondering if his earlier injury was acting up again. One of the Beaters handed him his broom and they huddled together while Gryffindor did the same several meters away. Kibum glanced around at the stands, which were full of the other students now.

Madam Hooch blew the whistle twice, and both huddles dispersed, standing in their formations on the ground until Hooch blew the whistle again. They shot up into the sky, cheers erupting from the Gryffindor side of the stadium.

Kibum cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling, “Let’s go, Minho!” He waved when Minho looked over at him before the Quaffle was thrown.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunlight peered through the clouds as Minho walked out of the hallway and onto the pitch behind the other Hufflepuffs. He yawned, his broom heavy in his hand as he stretched. “Go ahead and start stretching, guys, I’m gonna go talk to Jeffery,” Meg said before she started jogging down the pitch to where Gryffindor was coming out onto the field.

“It’s gotta be weird to play against your boyfriend,” Melissa, the sixth-year Keeper, said once they were all sitting. Minho reached for his toes, resting his forehead on his arm. “At least they’re both captains.”

“Mm.”

“Okay, so what do we remember from their last game?” Zach, the second Chaser, asked. "It was against Slytherin, right?”

Everyone nodded, and Claire, the third Chaser, spoke up. “Manns is getting lazy with his maneuvers. Like, remember last time -- “ Minho switched legs, glancing over at her, “ -- he just, fucking, let that ball through the goal, he didn’t even try to get it.”

“They still won,” Minho muttered.

“I mean, yeah, but it’s still something.”

Cameron, the second Beater, looked away from the opposite end of the field. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve played them, but we gotta remember that they play dirty.”

Sighs scattered through the group, and they all looked up as Meg ran back to them, plopping down on the ground between Marc and Cameron. “Okay so, I overheard Rogers telling Jeffery that Barnes is still not able to play.”

“The flu?”

She nodded, smiling. “So, they’re down their best Chaser and had to sub someone from their second string.”

“Everyone, gather ‘round!” Madam Hooch called from the center of the pitch. They scrambled to their feet, the wet grass squeaking with every step as they ran to meet her. Meg and Jeffery came up to the front of the teams. “Ward is playing for Barnes today?” Hooch asked as she pulled the team cards out of her robe pocket.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She made a quick note before her hawk-like eyes flicked up to meet Meg’s. “Any substitutions for you?”

“Nope.”

Minho rubbed his hands over his face, trying to make himself wake up a little, as Hooch tucked the cards back into her pocket. “Start flying laps to warm up. Seekers, stay here for a minute.” Minho dropped his hands, glancing from Hooch to Damien. The other players darted off, the _swoosh_ of their brooms ricocheting off the walls of the pitch. “Choi, how’s your hand?”

He held out his hand, inspecting his splotchy yellow bruise. “It’s fine. I got it checked out by Madam Pomfrey last week and she said I’m fine to play.”

“That’s good.”

Damien cleared his throat when Hooch started to walk away. “Did you have something to say to both of us?”

She turned, giving them a smirk. “This Snitch is particularly feisty, so be ready for that.”

They watched her walk away from them, Damien taking a couple steps closer. “That’s too bad for you, really. I was gonna say there’s a first time for everything, but...” he sighed and Minho didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. “I would wish you luck, but I don't want to waste my breath, you know?” He patted Minho's shoulder before he turned around.

Minho glanced down at his hand as he walked away, opening and closing his fist and watching the bones move in his hand. “You good, Minho?” Cameron asked, passing him his broom.

“Yup.”

“Guys!” Meg said, standing up on her tiptoes to look over their teammates. “Huddle in.” Minho placed his hand on top of the others, leaning in when Meg lowered her voice. “No matter what, do your best out there, okay?” Everyone nodded, watching her as she looked at each of them. “That’s all I care about. That we go out there, have fun, and do the best we can.” She placed her hand on top of the pile, squeezing Minho’s hand tightly. “One, two, three -- “

“Badgers!”

“Lions!” sounded from the other side of the field a couple seconds after.

Hooch blew her whistle twice. “Okay, get in your positions.”

They all jogged across the field, Minho breaking away from Meg and Cameron to stand before them and behind Zach and Claire. Marc stood at the center of the pitch with Jeffery opposite him, and Melissa jogged to her place behind the Beaters. Hooch inspected the numbers on their backs, just to make sure everyone was in their proper place. When she blew her whistle again, Minho dropped his broom, letting it bob in the air before he mounted it.

His shoulders fell when the cheers sounded from the Gryffindor side of the pitch as they all took to the sky. They all looked so happy to be there; they weren’t resigned to losing. Again.

"Let’s go, Minho!", faint as it was, cut through Gryffindor’s excited whooping and hollering. Sighing, he turned to the Hufflepuff/Slytherin stands with a small smile. The weight on his heart lifted, if only slightly, and the toss of the Quaffle drew his attention back to the other players.

Possession went to Gryffindor. Minho listened for Meg’s signal, and it came with three taps of her bat against her broomstick. “Three, okay,” he murmured to himself as he flew up and out of the way just in time before Cameron blew past him to get into his new position. Jeffery shouted orders to his own team, but Minho could barely hear him over the sound of the wind whipping past his ears.

He cringed when one of Gryffindor’s Chasers crashed into Claire to get her from catching the Quaffle. She was almost knocked off her broom, and Minho listened for the whistle indicating a foul that never came. Minho tried to fly down to see if she was alright, but she recentered herself on her broom and darted away before he could.

Shaking his head, he started scanning the arena and the sky for any glimpse of the Snitch.

“Ten points for Hufflepuff!” Marjory Phillips called from the announcers stand, and Minho turned to see Marc and Cameron flying back toward the center. Minho briefly clapped, catching himself when he started to lose his balance.

Zach flew up to him, glancing back as the next play was getting set up -- Meg had tapped her broomstick once. “See anything yet?” Minho shook his head and Zach patted his shoulder before he flew to his new position while Minho shot up above the stands to start doing his laps.

He passed Damien, who had been hovering on the center line since the Quaffle was thrown, without sparing him a glance. The Snitch still hadn’t made its appearance, and Minho started his second lap, scrutinizing every angle as he flew around the pitch.

There was a flash of gold in the corner of his eye, but by the time he turned his head, it was gone. Luckily, it didn’t look like Damien noticed it.

There came a crack from his left, and Minho glanced over to see a Bludger rocketing toward him. He pulled back before it clipped his broomstick and threw him into a spin, watching the Bludger as it returned to the Gryffindor Beater. The Beater’s attention turned from Minho to Cameron, who flew below him, and he started to swing his arm back, aiming for Cameron.

“Cameron, look out!” he yelled, whether out loud or just in his head, Minho wasn’t sure. Regardless, Cameron didn’t hear him, and without a second thought, Minho bore down on his broom and rushed to push him out of the Bludger’s trajectory.

“Minho, what the h -- “ he started to ask, his eyes widening when the Bludger rammed into Minho’s ankle with a _crack_.

The pain didn’t register, at first. Instead, his left ankle and foot went numb and tingly in an instant. The force of the hit almost knocked him off of his broom, but luckily Cameron caught his arm before he completely lost his balance. The Gryffindor Beater flew away before Minho and Cameron could look back at him.

“You okay?”

Minho struggled to answer, his ankle beginning to throb. When he finally opened his mouth, there was a glimmer of gold behind Cameron. He blinked hard once, twice, then pushed Cameron away from him as he shot after the Snitch.

Wind whipped around him, the chill cutting through him as he followed the flitting path of the Snitch. At some moments, it was so close he could almost graze it with his fingertips, and then a second later, it would dip and launch itself away from him. It didn’t take long before Damien swooped in beside him, reaching out the catch the Snitch for himself.

His hand tightened on his broomstick as he stretched closer to it, watching it swoosh back and forth in front of them. It had been flying straight for a few seconds, that meant it would probably change in the blink of an eye. The last two changes in direction, it had shot upward, but this time...it would probably dip down and away from them.

Even if he were wrong, he didn’t really have much to lose, right?

Minho dropped away from Damien before the Snitch’s flight changed, his broomstick dragging on the ground. A second later, the Snitch darted before his eyes and he lunged for it, losing his grip on his broom and tumbling to the ground.

It took him a second the catch his breath.

He rolled over, his breath hitching as he twisted his ankle, and stared up at the cloud-covered sky. Deep breath in; deep breath out. He brushed his hair off of his sweat-drenched forehead and squinted as the sun reappeared between the clouds. His brow furrowed when something fluttered in his hand and he held it up, opening his fist. Minho’s eyes widened as the Snitch’s wings fluttered again and curled around itself.

He did it...He finally caught the Snitch.

Groaning, he sat up and looked across the pitch to the Hufflepuff/Slytherin stands, squinting when he thought he saw a patch of the yellow of Kibum’s sweater at the forefront. Minho pushed himself up, wincing as he leaned on his good ankle, and held the Snitch up high to show Kibum.

“Choi Minho has caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins!”

The arena erupted in cheers, and above them all, Minho was sure he could hear Kibum.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Ten points to Hufflepuff!”

Kibum held himself back from cheering with the Hufflepuffs in the stands, instead opting to clap with the other Slytherins who also didn’t want to see Gryffindor win. The players started flying again, becoming a confusing mix of red and yellow in the sky. It took him a second to find Minho again, his eyes trailing after him as he flew above the play and started a lap around the arena.

He let out a quick _whoop!_ when Minho blew past them on his way around the pitch. Once he was on the other side, he stopped abruptly, looking around. Had he spotted the Snitch? Minho pulled up on his broomstick when a Bludger blazed past him. Kibum huffed, glaring at the Gryffindor Beater who was raising his bat to strike again, and his attention turned back to Minho as he darted to his teammate.

A shock coursed through him when the Bludger connected with Minho’s foot, and he grabbed Aaron’s sleeve when Minho almost fell off his broom. He closed his eyes when a wave of nausea hit him. “Is he okay?”

“I…think so. It looks like he spotted the Snitch.”

Kibum opened his eyes, finding Minho again quickly enough. His flight path was erratic, which definitely meant he was following the Snitch. Soon, Damien was at his side, reaching out to grab Snitch. Kibum’s brow furrowed when Minho dived below Damien, diving toward the lawn. He wasn’t sure if Minho jumped off or if his broomstick caught on something, but Kibum’s breath hitched and he shot to his feet when Minho fell off of his broom and rolled on the field.

“He…he’s not getting up. Aaron, he’s not getting up.”

Before Aaron could respond, Minho turned over, and Kibum weaved around the others in the bleachers to stand at the banister. He held up his hand – had he hurt that again, too? – staring at it for a second before he eventually stood holding his hand up proudly.

“Choi Minho has caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins!“

The cheering behind him and around the stadium was deafening, that Kibum almost couldn’t hear himself yelling “That’s my best friend! He – Minho! You did it, buddy!” Kibum was pretty sure his heart was about to jump out of his chest, and if he was this excited, he couldn’t even imagine how happy Minho was at this moment.

Grinning, Kibum found him on the field again, staggering towards his approaching teammates. Oh…right. In the excitement, Kibum had forgotten that he was hurt. The others in the stands had crowded around him now, so much so that he had to push around people to get to the stairs. He ran down the steps and outside to the Hufflepuff hallway, hurrying down the hall to the open doors leading to the pitch.

He stopped at the threshold, staring at the cluster of players landing on the field. Was he even allowed to come out onto the pitch? Maybe not, but the question right now was did he care if he couldn’t? The answer to that was a solid no. Kibum jogged out, catching up to the rest of the players, and rushed to where Minho was now sitting again, his captain and Madam Hooch crouched beside him and inspecting his ankle.

“Hey!” Minho said, his eyes bright and cheerful, even as he winced when Hooch turned his ankle. He patted the ground beside him and Kibum sat down, their shoulders brushing together. “Wanna see it?”

Kibum nodded, and Minho held out the Snitch, passing it to him.

It was heavier than Kibum imagined it would be, given how small it was. He closed his fist around it and grinned at Minho. “I knew you could do it.” Minho’s smile turned bashful as he looked down at his hands. “I’m so proud of you.” Kibum handed the Snitch back to Minho and slid his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer as Madam Pomfrey approached them.

Minho audibly winced as she untied his shoe and Kibum rubbed his shoulder, hopefully soothing him, if only slightly. She carefully slipped it off and passed it to Hufflepuff’s captain. “I’m going to roll your ankle a little to see what your range of motion is, alright?” Slowly, she started rotating his swollen ankle, and Kibum’s hold on Minho’s shoulder tightened.

Far above them, announcements were being made. Kibum wasn’t listening, but one of the Minho's teammates hunkered down beside the captain. “Hey,” he said in a poorly concealed whisper. “The group for Hogsmeade is leaving soon…is it okay if we go?”

“Sure. Good job today, guys!” she said, waving the rest of the team away before she returned her attention back to Minho.

“Well, it’s a probable fracture, but I won’t know for sure until we get you back to the infirmary.” She took her wand out from the waist of her apron and pointed it at Minho’s ankle. “Ferula!” A bandage appeared out of thin air, wrapping itself tightly around his ankle. Pomfrey glanced between the captain and Kibum. “Who’s going to help him get to the castle?”

“I will,” they said, both glancing at each other.

“You don’t have to,” Minho said, speaking in quiet Korean. “You can go to Hogsmeade.”

Kibum scoffed. “This is just the first trip. There'll be more. Why the fuck would I go without you?”

"Bummie..." Minho’s eyes widened, his already flushed face growing a deeper shade of red. “We can’t say that. Do you want to get in trouble?”

“What, can they speak Korean?”

Blinking, Minho looked back at the captain and Madam Pomfrey, who were watching him with concern. A smile played with the corners of his lips as he met Kibum’s eyes again. “Fuck!”

Both of them started to giggle, stopping when Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. “I’ll stay and help,” Kibum said to them, glancing over at the captain.

“Are you sure?” she asked, and Kibum nodded. “Okay,” she said apprehensively, looking back at Minho and grinning. “You did so good! I’m so proud of you!” Minho’s smile turned shy again as she patted his knee. “I’ll get you something from Honeydukes, okay?” He nodded and she started running down the field.

Pomfrey stood, looking down at Minho. “I’ll go get a bed ready for you.”

“Okay.”

Kibum rubbed his shoulder before moving his hand down to Minho’s waist. “Think you can stand, buddy?” He pushed himself up, pulling Minho up with him. Both of them staggered as they tried to steady themselves, Minho on one leg and Kibum under the added weight. He stayed still, watching Minho as his breathing steadied. “Ready?”

Minho nodded with a sigh. “Let’s go.”


	24. Peaches and Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a nip in the air that usually accompanied snow, biting at his nose and cheeks and the tips of his ears. The sky was gray and dismal, and Kibum actually found himself wishing for some snow, as it would brighten the day a little bit. Mom said that Hogsmeade was really pretty in the snow. Whenever it did snow, she and Dad would go to Madam Puddifoot’s to warm up with tea or cocoa or coffee.
> 
> He spared a glance at Minho when his teeth started to chatter. Maybe they should head there first instead of Honeydukes or Zonko’s.

Clothes, blankets, and textbooks lay strewn across the third year Hufflepuff dorm room. Minho sat in the middle of the chaotic mess, dumping out the contents of his backpack onto the floor and digging through the pockets. “Where…are you?” Minho sang under his breath. “Where…the fuck…did you go?”

Nope, it wasn’t in there either.

Huffing, Minho got up and went back to his dresser drawer to continue his seemingly fruitless search for his permission slip to go to Hogsmeade. He couldn’t leave Hogwarts without it, and he didn’t want to make Kibum have to wait for him. Again. Squinting, he looked up at the ceiling as he fished through his robe’s pockets. He had it, he knew he did. Dad and Mom signed it almost as soon as he got home from school last year.

“Why…can’t I…find you?” The door creaked open and Minho turned as Gilbert stepped into the room. “I’ll clean this up, I swear.”

Gil’s eyes widened as he took in the mess. “Not right now, though. It’s almost time to go.”

“I know, I know.”

“Still can’t find it?” Instead of answering, Minho opened his other drawer and felt his the pockets of his pants. “Kibum does know he can come inside, right?”

“Uh,” he glanced back to where Gilbert was, finding him sitting on Minho’s bed and looking through his nightstand. “Yeah, he does, he just…doesn’t want to right now.”

“Why not?” Gilbert asked as he peeked behind Minho’s bed.

Minho blinked. That was quite the loaded question, not that Gilbert realized it, of course. He didn’t want to get into it, as it wasn’t his question to answer, but he wasn’t even sure how to respond. As he was trying to conjure up a reason why Kibum didn’t want to be inside Hufflepuff that didn’t go into his supposed mis-Sorting into Slytherin and the fact that he felt guilty hiding it all from Grandma, Gilbert reached behind Minho’s bed and pulled out a crumpled parchment.

He flattened it in his lap as he inspected it closely. “Found it!” Minho bounded over the mess he made and took the paper from Gilbert, breathing a sigh of relief as he looked it over. “Ready?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He folded the parchment and stuck it in his jeans pocket as he scanned the floor for his favorite hoodie. “Did Kibum have a jacket?”

“Uh, I didn’t notice.”

“Probably not.” Minho hummed, finding his red sweatshirt and slipping it on before he grabbed his black Manchester hoodie for Kibum. “I’m ready now.”

He checked his pocket for his permission slip three times as they walked from their dorm room to the tunnel leading to the outside hallway. It was still there, of course, he was just paranoid about losing now. Minho crawled through the tunnel after Gil, and he spotted Kibum’s shoes pacing back and forth in front of the opening before Gilbert stepped outside.

As he expected, Kibum just had some band T-shirt on and no jacket or sweater. Minho passed him the hoodie as soon as he was standing up, taking the polaroid from Kibum so he could slip into the sweatshirt. “Did you find it?” Minho nodded as Kibum shrugged into Minho’s hoodie. “Good.” They glanced down the hall, finding that Gilbert was nearly to the stairwell. “We’re supposed to meet in the clocktower courtyard.”

“So, Zonko’s,” Kibum said once they started climbing the stairs and Minho nodded. “And Honeydukes?”

“We can start there, but I don’t know any more of the shops’ names.”

“Well, the only other one I can remember is Madam Puttifoot’s, so…”

Once they reached the main floor. they started running down the hallway to catch up to the other students. They were both panting by the time they reached the courtyard, and Minho leaned against Kibum as he reached down the rub his ankle. There had been a slight twinge of pain when he was running, but he wasn’t too concerned about it.

“Are you okay?” Minho glanced over at Kibum. Concern etched itself in Kibum’s brow as he looked up from Minho’s hand on his ankle to meet his eyes. “Are you sure? It’s probably a long walk to the village…”

“I’ll be okay, Bummie.” Kibum’s mouth flattened to a thin line, and Minho chuckled. “We can walk really slow if you want.”

He looked like he was about to respond, but O’Neely came to collect their permission slips, and they both watched him as he walked away. “All right, are we ready to go?” Before anyone could even answer, some of the older students started walking out of the courtyard, presumably on their way to Hogsmeade. O’Neely shook his head, smiling when everyone looked back at him, and gestured for everyone to follow the seventh years down the path.

* * * * * * * * * *

It wasn’t a long walk to Hogsmeade, which that Kibum was extremely grateful for, given the fact that Minho was still limping from his Quidditch injury. Granted, it was only slightly, but he still was. He shoved his hands in the pocket of the hoodie Minho let him borrow and let the polaroid swing back and forth across his chest with every step.

There was a nip in the air that usually accompanied snow, biting at his nose and cheeks and the tips of his ears. The sky was gray and dismal, and Kibum actually found himself wishing for some snow, as it would brighten the day a little bit. Mom said that Hogsmeade was really pretty in the snow. Whenever it did snow, she and Dad would go to Madam Puddifoot’s to warm up with tea or cocoa or coffee.

He spared a glance at Minho when his teeth started to chatter. Maybe they should head there first instead of Honeydukes or Zonko’s.

Kibum dug into his pocket, fishing out the Galleons that Mom sent him a couple days ago and the Sickles and Knuts he found laying around the castle. “Hey,” he nudged Minho’s arm with his elbow. “How much money do you have?”

“Uh.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, his expression falling when he pulled out two Sickles. “Not much.”

“It’s okay! I’ll pay for our shit today.”

Minho gave him a sort of pained, worried look. “You really don’t have to.”

“Doesn’t matter if I _have_ to or not, I’m gonna. Besides, I owe you!” Minho blinked twice before his brow furrowed in confusion, which made Kibum want to laugh. “You won the game, remember? I promised I’d do something for you.”

“You don’t have t– “

“You’re not my mom. You can’t tell me what I can or can’t do.”

Minho pursed his lips, attempting not to smile and failing miserably, and rolled his eyes. “Fine.” There was an amused glint in his eyes when he looked back ahead, “Oh!” He patted Kibum’s arm, pointing ahead.

They had just turned a corner on the path, and now in the distance, they could see the glow of the lanterns through the shop windows. Hogsmeade sprawled across the countryside, the main street bustling with people. Kibum squinted, watching their movements closely as they approached. It looked like some of them were setting up Christmas decorations, which seemed early, as November was only just beginning, but who was he to judge?

“Oh, hey,” he said, scooting closer to Minho when a pack of fourth years blew past them in a sudden rush to get to the village. “Are you planning on staying here for Christmas?”

Minho shrugged. “Aren’t you?”

“Well, I was, but I got the impression from Mom’s last letter that she wants me to come home this year.”

“Really?”

Kibum nodded. “I think she’s planning on being home.”

“Huh…okay, I’ll write to my parents and ask. They haven’t mentioned any trips they’re planning, so I should be good to go home.”

Kibum let out a sigh of relief and moved slightly away from Minho when their shoulders kept brushing together. “That’ll be weird, huh? Not being together for Christmas.”

“Yeah.” They both let out staggered sighs. “It’ll be nice to be with family again, though, I think.”

“Right.” Kibum shivered as the chilled wind picked up and Minho’s teeth started chattering again as they reached Hogsmeade. Minho seemed to want to follow the crowd to Honeydukes, but after a second of scanning the signs, Kibum grabbed his arm and guided him away. “Wait, where are we going?”

He pointed ahead to the shop with the bright pink door and window trimmings, the _Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop_ sign swinging back and forth in the breeze.

The heat from the crackling fireplace warmed them almost instantly as they stepped inside, the tinkle of a silver bell overhead announcing their arrival. Both stood frozen in the doorway, Kibum’s hand still latched onto Kibum’s arm, as they took in the shop.

Chintzy pink bows and floral wallpaper decked the walls, along with – thankfully – unmoving paintings of couples kissing, or just, being on the verge of kissing. Frilly pink satin tablecloths covered each table with lit and flickering candles in the midst of floral centerpieces. The windows were fogged up, and dripping hearts with initial were drawn in several of the panes. At the tables sat many of the older students that everyone in the school – including Mrs. Norris, probably – knew were couples.

He should have guessed from Mom's stories that this was a romantic spot for the couples at Hogwarts.

Kibum knew his face was red…probably beyond red and into scarlet territory now. He wanted nothing more than to pull Minho back out of the shop and pretend like they had never stepped foot inside. Minho, however, seemed to have another idea.

“Do you see the size of these mugs?” he asked as he started walking to the counter. Kibum wanted to ask him if he even saw the rest of the shop, but when he glanced up at Minho and saw how red the tips of his ears were, he knew he was aware. “We’ll probably have to share one.”

Kibum looked to where Minho was pointing and his eyes widened. Holy shit, the mugs were about this size of his face! They were probably made to share, judging by the state of the shop. “Uh, sure,” Kibum said as he got his money out of his pocket. “Tea or cocoa?”

“Cocoa.” When Kibum stepped up to the counter, Minho gestured behind them. “I’ll go get us a seat.”

The woman behind the counter – Madam Puddifoot herself, Kibum assumed – piled whipped cream and chocolate shavings high atop their already huge mug of cocoa, and Kibum carefully made his way back to where Minho was by the fire. “Okay so,” he whispered as soon as he sat down, “I didn’t know that this was, like, a place to take girlfriends.” Minho started to snicker and Kibum held back his own laugh. “Shut up!”

“If you expect me to let you live this down…” Kibum smacked his arm and Minho leaned away from him, laughter and candlelight sparkling in his eyes.

“Mom told me about it,” Kibum said when they both stopped giggling. “Dad used to take her here.” Minho sobered even more and Kibum lowered his eyes to the tablecloth. “Which is…Merlin’s beard, this is a horrible pink.”

Minho snorted and almost spilled the cocoa as he set it back on its saucer. “It is.”

With an effort, Kibum tore his gaze away from the horror that was the lacy pink tablecloth and looked across the small table at Minho. “Oh…my god.”

“What?” Minho froze in his seat, his eyes narrowing when Kibum turned on his polaroid. “What’s happening?”

A thick line of whipped cream was smeared across Minho’s upper lip, as well as a small dollop on the tip of his nose with a chocolate shaving sticking out the side of it. It was the cutest thing Kibum had ever seen, aside from Roo when she was learning how to roll over – and even then, it was really close.

“Just hold still,” Kibum said as he attempted to hold his camera steady as he tried not to laugh.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” Minho whined as Kibum snapped the picture.

“You’ve got…” Kibum gestured to his upper lip, and Minho wiped it away with his hoodie, his face flushing when he saw the whipped cream streaked across his arm. He got most of it off his nose, too, but not all, and Kibum reached across the table to brush it off with his thumb. “There.”

“No more?”

“You’re good,” Kibum said, watching the film develop. The picture was there, and the color was just starting to appear when Minho snatched it out of his hand. “Hey!”

“Oh my god.” Minho watched the picture for a second before he looked back at Kibum. “Why?”

“Mom said to make memories,” he said as he grabbed the picture from Minho’s hand and stuffed it in his pocket. “And pictures are the best way to do that.”

Minho rolled his eyes, hiding his smile behind the mug as he took another sip. “Whatever,” he said, taking extra care to clean his lip this time.

They were only able to drink about half of the cocoa before it became too rich for them. And, after much debate on whether they should leave the mug at the table or take it up to the counter, they stepped back into the main street, looking around at the bustling shops.

Zonko’s ended up being too crowded for either of them to enjoy themselves, so they left quickly and hurried across the street to Honeydukes, which seemed to be emptied out of students. There were only a few left, other than he and Minho, of course, leaving more than enough room for the two to browse at their leisure. Kibum kept having to physically drag him away from the freezer full of ice cream – he was starting to think Minho was doing it to annoy him specifically.

After a while, they split up, each inspecting different bins and shelves and the treats that were displayed there. Minho snapped his fingers, drawing Kibum’s attention away from the assortment of Tooth-flossing Stringmints and the Tooth-splintering Strongmints – really though, the packaging was much too similar, and at a glance, they could be mistaken for the other. Which, potentially, could be slightly catastrophic. Minho snapped his fingers again, this time letting out a hushed _hey!_ and Kibum turned away from the mints and returned to Minho’s side.

“Is this a for real blood lollipop?”

Kibum took one of the lollipops from the stand, inspecting the wrapper. “No, it’s actually strawberry. But, I suppose it’s supposed to taste like..blood?”

“Why would anyone want that?” Kibum was about to make a joke about vampires, but Minho cut him off. “I should get one for Minseok.”

“I highly doubt he would like that.”

“Yeah, no, not at all.” Minho picked up one of the lollipops again, twirling it between his fingers. “What about Jjong?”

“If I’m getting him anything in the shop,” Kibum started to say, nodding for Minho to follow him. “It’ll be this.” He held up a box of Fudge Flies with a grin. “He fucking hates fudge.”

Minho laughed out loud, the sound amplified in the small shop. He covered his mouth sheepishly and stepped closer to Kibum to avoid everyone’s curious eyes. “Why get it for him, then?”

He nodded across the shop to where the lollipops were and Minho followed his gaze. “Why get one of those for Minseok? For the reaction! It’ll be hilarious, even if I’m not there to see it, I’d for sure hear about it.” Kibum flipped over the box, his eyes widening at the price. “A whole Galleon?”

“We could get the gag gifts later.”

“True.” Kibum tossed the box back on the shelf, and Minho straightened it before he followed Kibum down the aisle. “See anything you want?”

For like, the fifth time, Minho’s gaze drifted toward the ice cream counter. Kibum was about to tell him no, for the fifth time, but then Minho’s eyebrows raised the slightest bit and his bottom lip jutted in the tiniest pout. Were his eyes even watering? Kibum clinked his coins together in his pocket as he tried to glare at him…but could he really say no to him? With that expression?

His eyes narrowed at his best friend, who was now making his chin quiver with uncried tears. It would take a force of nature to stop him from doing whatever Minho wanted at this exact moment in time.

And, even then, that might not even stop him.

“Fine.” Minho expression changed instantly from a pleading pout to a triumphant grin. “But I stand by the fact that this isn’t ice cream weather.”

“All weather is ice cream weather, Bummie!”

Kibum just rolled his eyes and Minho followed him to the counter, draping his arm over his shoulders. “What kind do you want?”

Minho leaned in, bringing Kibum closer to the glass with him. He tapped the glass over the _Spiced Peaches and Cream_ flavor. It had big chunks of succulent looking peaches, and just the sight of it made Kibum’s mouth water. “Could we get two cones of the Peaches and Cream, please?” Kibum asked when Mr. Flume stopped behind the counter.

“Sorry, lad, we’re out of those for the day.”

“Cones?” Mr. Flume nodded and Kibum turned his head slightly toward Minho. “You okay if we share a bowl?”

“Totally against it.”

His ill-concealed smile made that hard to believe, so Kibum looked back up at Mr. Flume. “A bowl then, with two spoons.”

“All right, then. The Missus will ring you up,” he said, gesturing down the counter to where a kindly woman stood watching them, and started to scoop out the ice cream.

“How much?”

“A Galleon and two Knuts.” Kibum set the money on the counter and Minho detached himself from his side as he hurried to grab the ice cream from Mr. Flume. “Thank you, boys!”

“Thank you!” They called out almost simultaneously as they headed for the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

A blast of cold wind hit them as soon as they stepped outside Honeydukes. It was a shock to their systems, with how comfortably toasty the Flumes kept their shop. Minho shuddered as a chill crept down his spine, and he huddled a little closer to Kibum as they walked through the lane.

It was barely four in the afternoon, Minho saw on the clock face above Dervish and Banges, but it was already so dark. Dinner would be a bit later today, so they still had some time to kill before heading back to the castle. They passed by The Three Broomsticks, which seemed to be packed full of people getting drinks.

“Have you ever had butterbeer?” Kibum asked as they walked passed, peering into the candlelit windows of the inn, and Minho told him that he had not. “Next time, then.” 

The shopkeeper of Tomes and Scrolls stepped outside and hung a closed sign over the doorknob in the center of the bookshop, smiling as Minho waved at her. There seemed to be a lot more to the village than the others talked about, which was mainly just Honeydukes and Zonko’s. There was a sporting goods shop and it was filled almost to the brim with broom care and repair supplies as well as wood and leather polish. Basically, anything he could possibly think of that he might need for Quidditch was in there, and more.

Kibum almost choked on his ice cream when Minho dragged him across the street to look in the windows of the shops on the other side of the street. There was a hairdressing salon, a clothing shop, an Herbology shop that Minho might have gotten too excited about, a music shop -- its windows were already shuttered so they couldn’t see inside -- and a post office at the end of the lane.

A flake of snow -- followed by another and another -- fell before Minho, and he looked up at the lanterns posted along the lane to see the few snowflakes as they fell past the warm light. 

Minho took a big bite of the ice cream, savoring the chunk of peach he got before he took another scoop and passed the bowl back to Kibum. They would have so much more to explore next time they came to Hogsmeade.

There wasn’t much else to see, now that the shops were all closing, except for maybe the Shrieking Shack, but Minho wasn’t exactly sure what that was all about. Travis said that Tanner told him it was the most haunted building in all of Britain, but apparently, there hadn’t been a sound heard from there for years. 

Still, he couldn’t help but be curious...

He glanced at the other students who were also on their way back to the castle as Kibum passed the bowl of ice cream back to Minho. As he took another bite, he shivered and hoped against hope that Kibum didn’t notice it, but judging by the smug smile on his face, he absolutely did.

“It’s really good, at least,” Minho said as he dug through the cream for another bite of peach. 

Kibum chuckled. “Yeah, the spices are a nice touch. It’s still too cold for ice cream, though.” 

“Sucks for you that you’re so closeminded.” 

“Not closeminded,” he said, snatching the bowl out of Minho’s hands. “Just cold.” Minho glanced around, his gaze training over Kibum’s head on the silhouette of what was probably the Shrieking Shack. He was about to suggest that they go check it out when Kibum elbowed him in the side. “What the hell? Are you eating all the peach chunks?”

“...Maybe?” Kibum huffed and went back to digging around in the bowl in search of more peach. Minho tried to move one of the scoops with his spoon, but Kibum parried it with his own before it even came in contact with the ice cream. “Wanna go see the Shrieking Shack?” 

“At...night?” 

“It’s barely night.” 

“It’s also snowing." 

“True.” Minho looked away from the distant building to find Kibum staring at it. “You must be curious, though, too.” 

“That...that’s beside the point.” 

Kibum glanced behind them to the trickle of students heading back to Hogwarts before he grabbed Minho’s arm and dragged him off the path. They ran -- Kibum’s spoon clattering against the bowl of ice cream -- across the grass toward the Shrieking Shack. Soon, they reached a rickety fence, which looked easy enough to hop over but both of them balked at it. 

Kibum tugged on Minho’s arm before he released him and sat on the boulder Minho had just jumped over. After a second, Minho sat beside him, and Kibum passed back the bowl of ice cream. “Grandma said that this wasn’t here when she was in school.”

“Really?” Minho asked, but it came out garbled behind his mouthful of ice cream.

“Yeah. I don’t know when it got built, but Will -- Slytherin's Head Boy -- said it was, like, immediately haunted.” Minho hummed as he took another bite. “Maybe there was a massacre in this field during one of the wars and the building of the house disturbed the land...or something.” 

Minho shivered, this time not from being cold. “That’s so creepy.” He stared at the distant house, watching the boarded-up windows for any sort of movement. “Would the ghost...or ghosts...make a lot of noise?”

“Yeah. Not all the time, though. Lots of wailing and crying, I guess.” Kibum shuddered himself and shifted so he was pressed up against Minho’s side after Minho handed him back the bowl. “Did you like Hogsmeade, though?” 

“I did. It’ll be fun to go into the other shops and check them out, next time.”

“Agreed. Although, promise me right now that we won’t spend all our time at Spintwitches.” 

Minho laughed out loud. “No, I’ll leave some time for us to go back to the tea shop, don’t worry...honey,” he said _honey_ in the most sickly-sweet voice he could manage. 

“Oh my god...” Kibum covered his eyes in embarrassment and Minho caught the bowl with another laugh. It was too dark to tell if he was blushing -- knowing Kibum, he absolutely was -- but, he was smiling big enough for his dimples to appear. His heart did this sort of flutter as he sat back, enjoying the last bite of ice cream to himself. “Why do I hang out with you again?” 

“Grandma pays me to.” 

Kibum snorted, shoving Minho away from him only for him to bump right back into his shoulder. “Oh right, of course. I remember that now.” He wiped his hands off on his pants before he slipped them into his -- well, Minho’s -- hoodie and pulled out the few pictures they took from today. 

The snow was falling a bit harder now, and it was actually starting to accumulate in patches. He could feel and see some of the flakes that caught in his eyelashes, but he blinked them away. Minho was definitely feeling the cold now, the chill biting at his fingertips and nose and ears. He set the bowl between his legs on his lap and shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket.

Beside him, Kibum sniffed, and Minho looked down to find him staring at the picture he took inside the tea shop. When he sniffed again, Minho leaned forward to check if Kibum was crying. He wasn’t. After a second of hesitation, Minho slipped his arm around Kibum’s waist, rubbing his side a little.

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, glancing Minho’s way. “Sorry.” 

“What for?” Kibum just shook his head, slipping the pictures back into his pocket. He had mentioned his parents a couple times today, maybe thoughts about them were bothering him? Minho held him a little tighter, and Kibum sighed. “Missing your dad?”

“I just...I don’t know if it makes sense...but I wish, I wish I could have gotten to know him better. Just, like, being here today made me think about all the stories he had told me...” He shivered, and Minho looked up at the snow collecting on his head. He considered brushing it off for him, but then he continued. “I don’t know, I was just wondering what all he didn’t get to tell me. Not just about Hogsmeade, or Hogwarts...but, everything. I just wish -- “ His voice cracked and Minho started rubbing his side again. “I know I’m being selfish." 

“You’re not selfish to miss your dad, Bummie.” 

Kibum gulped and nodded, meeting Minho’s eye for a second. He leaned into him before he pushed himself up off the boulder. “We should probably head back, huh?”

“I guess.” Kibum held out his hand to Minho, helping him off the boulder. Minho tucked the bowl under his arm and reached up to brush the snow out of Kibum’s hair. “You should put your hood up. I don’t want you to catch a cold.” 

Kibum squeezed his hand -- a silent _thanks_ \-- and let go of his hand to put on his hood. 

It was practically night by the time they reached the path back to Hogwarts. Snow was falling heavily now, a thin layer covering the ground. Their footsteps crunched in the snow and Minho got his wand out of his pocket, whispering “Lumos.” 

A halo of clean white light shone before them, the snow glittering before it hit the ground. Beside him, Kibum linked their arms, their steps syncing as they walked along. He looked happy, his eyes bright in the wandlight as he looked up at the falling snow. "I really do love the snow.”

“But, you don’t like being cold.” 

“Yeah, but,” Kibum held his hand out to catch some flakes. “It’s pretty!”

He looked back up at Minho, dimples indenting his cheeks as he grinned. Minho’s breath caught and he looked back at the falling snow and the night beyond. “Yeah, it is.”


	25. I'll Be Home for Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your parents are planning on taking you and your brother to London at some point during Christmas break, correct?”
> 
> Minho squinted and then nodded again.
> 
> Kibum scooted forward a little more, grabbing the discarded letter he got from Mom that morning at breakfast. “Mom and Grandma are planning on being in London from the 22nd all the way up to Christmas Eve -- well, we go back to Nottingham that day, but we’ll still be there, anyways you get it.” Minho chuckled and glanced up. His static in his hair must have crackled, because he smoothed it down.
> 
> “All I’m saying is, you should try to be there then. Before Christmas, when I’m there! It won’t be perfect, but at least we’ll be able to see each other during the break.”

”You want us to what now?”

Kibum looked up from the contents of his bag and over his bed to where Minho was organizing his books. Static clung to his hair, and it was sticking out in an odd sort of halo around his head.

“Do you need me to explain it again?” he asked when Minho met his gaze. He let out a long sigh, eventually nodding. “Okay.” Kibum dropped the pair of socks he just rolled into his trunk and leaned forward. “Your parents are planning on taking you and your brother to London at some point during Christmas break, correct?”

Minho squinted and then nodded again.

Kibum scooted forward a little more, grabbing the discarded letter he got from Mom that morning at breakfast. “Mom and Grandma are planning on being in London from the 22nd all the way up to Christmas Eve -- well, we go back to Nottingham that day, but we’ll still be there, anyways you get it.” Minho chuckled and glanced up. His static in his hair must have crackled, because he smoothed it down.

“All I’m saying is, you should try to be there then. Before Christmas, when I’m there! It won’t be perfect, but at least we’ll be able to see each other during the break.”

His mouth screwed up in a tight little frown as he rested his head on the side of the bed. “But how, though?”

Kibum let out an exasperated huff. “You’ve got to play the right angle, remember? They’re doing this because they missed your birthday, right? That’s your best bet.”

“Is that how you get what you want at home?”

“The only child always gets what they want.”

Minho rolled his eyes, snorting softly. “That explains...so much.” Kibum took one of the rolls of socks out of his trunk and tossed it at Minho’s head. it ricocheted off and landed on the floor. “Hey!”

Laughing, Kibum laid down and stretched across the floor to grab the socks. “I know it won’t be easy, buddy, but it’s worth a try.” Minho hummed his assent as he went back to sorting Kibum’s books. After a moment, Kibum stopped folding his clothes and watched Minho’s expression scrunch in what he assumed was concentration. “Unless...you don’t want to?”

He frowned, blinked, then looked up at Kibum. “No, I do! Don’t get me wrong -- “

“Then, what is it?”

Minho’s gaze darted back to the books in front of him, the wrinkles in his furrowed brow deepening. “Um...well...I don’t think my parents...uh...I -- “

“You don’t think they like me?” Minho’s shoulders slumped and his expression turned nearly despondent. “Min,” he said, his voice quiet in the silence. He waited for Minho to look back his way before he continued. “It’s okay, really. I didn’t get the impression that they did, anyways. But, I wouldn’t be coming to see them, you know?”

Minho nodded reluctantly. “I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, that’s all.”

He still hadn’t -- and never would -- mention to Minho what he had overheard his parents saying last summer, nor did he mention the following conversation he had with Minseok. Kibum couldn’t give even half of a fuck about what Minho’s parents thought about him, because the feeling was more than likely mutual. If their plan did work out and they were able to spend some time together in London, any uneasy or sour look from Minho’s parents would be worth whatever time he got to spend with his best friend.

He uncrossed his legs with a quiet groan and went over to sit beside Minho, wrapping his arm around his waist. “I won’t, I promise.” Minho leaned into him when Kibum rubbed his side. “Thanks for arranging those, by the way,” he said, pointing at his neatly lined-up books. “It’ll be nice to come back to.”

Minho pushed the spine of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ back in line with the others. “They’re in order of your class schedule because I thought that might be a bit easier.”

“It will be.” He glanced at Kibum, the corners of his eyes crinkling up when he gave him a small smile. “Do you still have to pack?”

“Uh, no. I forgot my backpack on my bed.”

Kibum looked up to where Aaron kept his alarm clock, only to find it facing the other direction. “When are we supposed to be ready to go?” he asked as he left Minho’s side, walking around the bed to Aaron’s nightstand.

“Noon, I think.”

The clock read _11:42 AM_. “You should hurry.”

Minho jumped to his feet, rubbing his knees with the slightest wince. “You’re not taking much, right? Or do you need my help carrying shit?”

“I’ll be fine.” Nodding, Minho hurried for the door. “Meet you by the stairs!” he called out after he slipped through the door, waiting for the distant _okay_.

When it came, Kibum straightened his comforter and took the rest of his polaroids off the top of his bunk and set them on his newly folded clothes. He grabbed the navy sweater Grandma had made him last year, tugging it over his head before he closed and locked his trunk. Kibum twisted the sweater around when he realized he had put it on backwards before he slipped his arms into the sleeves.

“Oh, right!” He went around to the side of his bed and dropped to his knees, digging around behind his books for his camera and its case. He hooked it around his neck before he stood and brushed the dust off of his knees.

He didn’t have anything he was too worried about leaving here for the two weeks that they’d be out of Hogwarts. None of his other roommates were staying over the break, so no one would be coming into his room. Kibum scanned the room once again, making sure everything was in its place before he extinguished the lanterns posted around the room and closed the door behind him.

Once the bricks had fallen into place behind him, all was quiet in the basement hallway, except for the ever-present dripping and the thudding sounds of presumedly Minho’s running footsteps. Kibum picked up his pace and was only a few steps short of meeting him at the doorway. Minho met him with a grin before he took off running up the stairs.

Both were breathless by the time they reached the front doors of the castle, and they mingled with the crowd, raising their hands when Flitwick -- O’Neely was already gone for break, as his wife had just given birth their first baby -- called out their names for roll call. Once the professors were sure that everyone who was supposed to be there actually was, everyone one was ushered into the horseless carriages and sent on their way to the train station.

A fresh layer of snow covered the Hogsmeade in a pillowy blanket. The light from the candles in the windows and the lush wreaths and the lanterns set the village aglow. Carolers stood outside of the post office, singing cheery Christmas songs as the students rushed past on their way to the Hogwarts Express.

Even though the air was frigid and numbed Kibum’s face and ears, he still felt warm walking through Hogsmeade. The bustle of the students and the cheery holiday atmosphere really made the town feel...alive. There was a vendor calling out, advertising some sort of popcorn. Kibum dug through his pockets, ripping off one of the gloves Minho had lent him midway through the carriage ride to grab the Sickles he had inside.

Slipping behind Minho, he went to the vendor and bought a bag that the vendor pulled straight from the kettle and handed to Kibum. “What kind is it?”

Huh...Kibum stuck out his tongue and picked up a couple of pieces from off the top. “It’s sweet,” he said, chewing as Minho reached around to grab a small handful for himself. “It’s good.”

“Mmhm.”

By the time they reached their usual car, they found an empty room that they could have all to themselves. Kibum sprawled out on one of the benches, and Minho took the popcorn out of his hands before he sat back against the wall on the same bench.

“Ready?”

“For what?” he started to ask, only to sputter when a couple pieces of popcorn hit his face. “Obviously not!” Minho laughed and tossed another. Kibum picked it up off his chest and popped it into his mouth before turned around. “Gimme a second!” He situated himself back onto the bench, holding his mouth open.

No popcorn came.

“Choi, I’m re -- “

A kernel bounced off his nose and onto the floor as the train started. “Hold on,” Minho said, his mouth suspiciously full. “My aim is getting better!”

“Sure,” Kibum said flatly, flinching when several kernels assaulted him at once. “Don’t waste popcorn!”

He stared up at the ceiling when Minho rummaged around in the popcorn bag, glancing through the far window when the scenery changed in his peripheral vision. They had left Hogsmeade now, judging by the snow-covered Scottish moors they were passing.

They’d be home soon.

“Ready?” Kibum opened his mouth, sticking his tongue out as far as he could and catching the kernel that Minho tossed to him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Smoke from the train engine billowed past their car window when the Hogwarts Express came to a stop at the platform. Minho glanced out the window when Kibum sat up, scanning the families for his own, even though he knew there was no chance they were there.

Popcorn spilled off of Kibum and onto the bench and floor when he got up off the bench and walked over to the door. Minho scooted forward, scooping the popcorn off the bench and dumping it in the empty bag before he moved to the floor.

“It’s so strange to be back so early.”

“It is,” Minho said, wiping his hand off on his jeans before he joined Kibum at the window. He adjusted his backpack, and he forgot for a moment if he had remembered to put the ticket his mom sent him yesterday into his backpack. “Fuck...” Kibum frowned, glancing his way. Minho turned around and shook his backpack. “Can you check the front pocket for my ticket?”

As Kibum unzipped it, Minho thought back to how he had left his room. He could almost see the ticket on the nightstand, right where he was sure he had left it, but then Kibum stopped digging. “Found it!” Minho turned around to find him flipping through the envelope. “How many pounds is she expecting you to pay for food? You don’t eat that much.”

Minho snatched the envelope from him with a laugh. “It’s just in case.” Apparently, there had been some flooding last year when Minseok went on a one-day class trip and their parents didn’t send him with any extra cash for food. Minho stuffed the envelope into his coat pocket and opened the door for Kibum to leave the room first.

Out of habit, they both headed to the back of the train once they reached the platform, where the luggage was being placed for pick up despite the fact that neither of them had any luggage for themselves. They meandered through the crowd, Minho leading the way to the exit while Kibum latched onto his backpack.

“You or me?”

“What?”

Minho pointed at the brick wall. “Wanna go first?”

“You go,” Kibum said as he gave him a shove toward the wall. “Just wait for me.” Nodding, Minho took a couple steps back before he launched forward, jogging directly into the brick wall.

It was always an odd feeling, coming and going from Platform 9 3/4. Everything in his mind told him to prepare for impact and pain as he ran toward the very solid brick wall. But, when he ran into it, he would always feel nothing at all, except for the slight tingle of lingering magic. It sort of...tickled, for lack of a better word. It was almost like he was running through a dense mist.

Minho wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to it.

Once free of the magic wall, he skidded to a stop, so not to alert the Muggles. He almost ran into a couple walking past the entrance, and the man’s response was quite gruff, judging by his tone -- try as he might, Minho couldn’t understand his accent. Minho bowed to him once he passed, mumbling his apology.

He didn’t have to wait long for Kibum to join him, but he wasn’t expecting him to run directly into him. They almost toppled over, but Minho maintained his balance for the both of them...barely.

“Let me see your ticket again,” Kibum said. Minho held it out for both of them to read, which led them both to a reader board to find the right terminal. He only had fifteen minutes to make his train and he didn’t know his way around King’s Cross, other than getting too and from Platform 9 3/4. Panic was starting to set in.

Eventually, Kibum snatched Minho’s ticket out of his hand and ran over to one of the workers, asking her where they needed to go. She led them to the right platform, smiling when Minho and Kibum thanked her.

“I guess this is it.” Minho glanced at the fast-approaching train and nodded. “Hey,” he looked back at Kibum, “if it doesn’t work out that we can see each other in London, don’t feel bad, okay?”

Minho sighed. “Okay. See you soon,” he said, pulling Kibum into a quick hug as the train came to a stop before them. He started for the train, stepping inside quickly and looking back at Kibum. “Have a safe trip home!”

“You too! If I don’t see you, Merry Christmas!” Kibum waved as the doors closed.

“Merry Christmas!” Minho called back, but his voice bounced back to him as the doors sealed. Instead, he just waved and watched Kibum until the train started to pull away and he turned to leave the platform.

“Minho?” a familiar voice asked. He turned to find Aaron, Kibum’s roommate, sitting a couple paces behind him. “I thought that was you!” He joined him, and they soon fell easily into conversation, mostly about football. The time passed quickly, and when the train stopped in Macclesfield, Aaron got off, wishing Minho a very Merry Christmas, which, of course, Minho returned.

He sat back in his seat, watching the clouds move with the train. In the distance, he watched as rain started to fall from a patch of clouds, the gray underbelly streaking through the sky. His head lolled to the side as he started to doze off, and not even the cool window could wake him up. The stress and excitement from leaving the castle to go home was starting to catch up to him.

Honestly, Minho didn’t remember falling asleep, but he must have, since one of the conductors came by, shaking his shoulder slightly and asking him if Piccadilly was his stop. He blearily fumbled for his ticket before he remembered that yes, this is where he got off. He stumbled off the train, following the crowd out to the lobby.

It was more packed than usual -- on account of the holiday, he figured -- so Minho was trying to be understanding when people bumped into him as they blew past on their hurry to see their families. When someone grabbed him by his backpack, however, he froze, unsure of whether he needed to run or yell for help. The urge to yell grew when whoever it was threw their arms around him and pulled him out of the crowd.

“Hey, dumbass!”

“What the fuck!” Minho whirled around at the sound of Minseok’s voice, punching him in the arm with a high-pitched laugh. “I was so scared for a second!”

His brother’s opened in mock shock. “Language, Min...oh,” he looked across the lobby, and Minho followed his gaze. “Better get it all out now, here comes Dad.”

Minho stood a little straighter, smoothing the wrinkles in his sweater, and smiled up at his dad as he approached. Dad, once he reached them, hooked his arm over Minho’s shoulder and pulled him into a sort-of hug as he started leading them back to the door. “Let’s hurry, Mom is waiting in the car.” Minseok jogged ahead of them, and Minho could feel Dad’s eyes on him as his hand squeezed his shoulder a little tighter. “How was your trip?”

“Good.”

“Good.” He dropped his arm, letting Minho go through the door first. A blast of cold air hit him as soon as he stepped outside, and he would have stood still for a second if Dad hadn’t pushed him along to wear the car was idling by the sidewalk. He followed went around to the passenger side of the car to get in the back seat there.

“Welcome home, Minho,” Mom said as he buckled his seat belt. She was smiling at him through the rearview mirror. “How was your trip?”

“Long,” he said with a big yawn.

“I bet.” She glanced at Dad when he changed gears and started driving. “Well, we’re glad your home.” Minho sniffed, rubbing the sleep from his eye as he sat back in his seat and watched the cars drive by. He had forgotten how much of a shock coming home was to his system, with the myriad stark differences between Hogwarts and here.

His brow furrowed when Dad took a wrong turn to go home, and he sat forward in his seat when he took another. “Where are we going?”

“To get your birthday present.”

“Minseok!”

“What? Is he gonna guess what it is from that? It’s still a surprise.”

Mom glared at him and they started to argue, but Minho stopped listening, staring instead out the window as curiosity and excitement coursed through his mind. What could it be? They had given him no clues in previous letters that he had picked up on. His eyes widened when Dad pulled into the Millstream Animal Shelter parking lot.

“Really?”

“We’ve already got all the supplies we need for a cat, so now the choice is yours,” Mom said, smiling at Minho when he met her gaze.

He unbuckled himself and jumped outside, getting to the doorway before the rest of his family. Minseok was close behind him, following him to the cat cages.

There were too many to even think about choosing from, especially with how indecisive Minho usually was. They were all so cute, and equally deserving of homes...Minseok taking some out their cages for him to hold did not help with the decision-making process at all. Minho was about ready to give up and let Minseok pick when one of the cats snagged his sweater with its claws, stopping him in his tracks.

It -- no, she, according to her chart -- had tortoiseshell fur coloring, wide and bright green eyes, and it looked as though she had gotten part of one of her ears torn off, judging by the jagged scar. She meowed at him as he unhooked her claws from his sweater and went up on his tiptoes to unlock the cage. Once open, he held out his hand to her, letting her sniff him before she pushed his head up into the palm of his hand.

“I think we found her...” Minho said as he picked her up out of the cage and held her close to his chest as she looked around the hall. She instantly started purring.

“I’ll go get the carrier from the car.”

Minho nodded, and she chirruped at Minseok before he disappeared around the corner. “You ready to go home...Hayley?” he asked, checking her chart at the front of the cage. “Well, that won’t work.” But, what to name her, though. He frowned, sighing. If only Kibum were here...he was really good at coming up with ideas on the spot.

Mom, soon followed by Dad, came around the corner to see the cat for themselves. She cooed over her and Dad suggested that they put the cat back in her cage until they got the papers finalized.

It was quite the process, signing the paperwork and paying for the cat. When the time came, Minho still wasn’t sure what he wanted to name her, and the volunteer behind the counter reassured him that it was all right. Minseok handed the carrier over to her and she soon returned with Hayley, who looked curious and slightly terrified at her new environment.

Minho tapped the rungs of the carrier, capturing her attention while Dad finished paying for her. He stepped up on his tiptoes to lift the carrier and carried her back to the car, slipping inside after Minseok opened his door for him.

He curled his finger inside the carrier, and Hayley sniffed him. Her cold nose tapped his skin a couple of times before she laid down, her chin resting on the curve of his finger.

“Are you happy, Minho?” He looked up at Mom before he made eye contact with Dad in the mirror. He nodded with a smile that Mom quickly returned. “So, how’s your school year been so far?”

He kept his stories short and as magic-free as possible -- he could save the fun ones for Minseok later -- and before they were home, he had run out of things to say and was listening as they caught him up on their time without him. Apparently, Minseok was captain of the football team at school? And the top of his class? Not all that surprising, but Minho sort of zoned out as his parents went on about his brother’s accomplishments.

“When, uh,” he paused, looking outside once they pulled into their driveway. “When are we going to London?”

“Sooner rather than later, probably,” Dad said, taking the keys out of the ignition.

“Before Christmas?” When Dad nodded, Minho ducked his head to hide his smile and grabbed Hayley’s carrier. She meowed and let out a low growl as Minho walked her inside.

“Let her explore the bathroom for a while!” Mom called after him as he walked slowly up the stairs. He closed the bathroom door behind him and gently set the carrier down before he flicked open the door.

Hayley just stared at him, her eyes wide and unblinking, while he clicked his tongue and scratched his hand back and forth on the floor, trying to beckon her to come out. She looked like she was about to come out, but then Minseok pounded on the door. “You left your backpack in the car, I’m tossing it on your bed.”

“Okay!”

She was crouching in the back of the carrier now, still watching Minho. He sat back against the door, waiting to see if she would come out on her own. Eventually, she crept out only to hide behind the toilet.

“Minho?”

He looked up at the sound of Mom’s voice and opened the door. “Yeah?”

“Come down, I need to cut your hair!”

He sat up on his knees, inspecting his hair in the mirror. Yeah, it was a little long. He hadn’t gotten it cut since before he left for Hogwarts. Groaning, he stood and cracked open the door, peeking over at the toilet for a glimpse of Hayley before he started downstairs, closing the door behind him.

When he sat down at the kitchen table, Mom carded her fingers through his hair before she turned on the clippers. Minho stared through the arch to where Dad and Minseok were lounging in the living room -- Dad with some old movie on in the background while he focused on his puzzle and Minseok draped across the couch, playing on his handheld Nintendo.

While it was a little surreal to be home, it was nice to know that nothing had changed while he was gone.

After the mess from his haircut was cleaned and dinner was had, Minho went straight to bed, since he was still tired from his traveling. Almost as soon as he drifted off, there came a tapping from the window. He tried to ignore it, at first, but it became so incessant that he sat up and glared.

There was an owl...with a letter in its talons.

He hopped out of bed and cracked open the window, slipping the rolled up paper out of the owl’s hold and going back over to his bed to flip on his light.

> _Minho,_
> 
> _Made it home safe. I hope you did as well? I made a comment about ice skating and Mom thought it would be fun to do so she looked up the closest rink to our hotel and said it’s the Tower of London rink, so that’s where we’ll be, just in case it works out._
> 
> _See you soon...ish,_
> 
> _Kibum_

Minho glanced up to see if the owl was still there, but it had flown away. Sighing, he tucked Kibum’s letter under his pillow and laid back down. He was relieved to hear that Kibum was home, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to steer his parents towards a particular rink. It was worth a try, though, to be able to hang out with Kibum for a little while.

He pulled his blankets over his shoulder and snuggled into the warmth, hoping that the next few days would pass by quickly.

Luckily, they did.

Hayley, who Minho had officially named Ember because her fur looked like the coals at the bottom of the common room’s fireplace, had taken to exploring the house. It took her a little while to get used to the collar around her neck, but it was nice to have the tiny jingle announcing her presence. Her favorite place in the house seemed to be at the top of the hearth of the fireplace right in front of the TV. No matter how many times they moved her so they could see the screen, she always went right back to it.

She seemed happy, though, which was all that mattered to Minho.

Dad even took Minho along with him to practice, which was a complete surprise...especially when Minseok didn’t end up tagging along. He tried to be quiet and sit on the bench to watch the scrimmage, like Dad told him to, but then Park Jisung asked Minho to pass him his water bottle. It took him a little while to get over his shock, but then he couldn’t stop talking to him. Luckily, Jisung didn’t seem to mind. He even gave Minho some tips on dribbling and passing, until Dad snapped at both of them.

Jisung ruffled Minho’s short-cropped hair with a smile before he ran back onto the field, and Minho sat back on the bench in a daze. His poster of Jisung was already on the wall in his room, but now he sort of wanted to get it framed.

The morning of the 23rd came, and soon their backpacks -- and Mom’s purse -- were packed and they were on their way to London for the day.

“You seem really excited about this.” Mom said once they stepped outside of King’s Cross Station.

Minho smiled, looking up at the buildings and the ever-gray sky. “I just haven’t been here since we first moved. You know, like, actually in London...for London.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Minseok insisted on showing them all the touristy things he did on the school trip he took several months ago, including taking them to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Minho found himself wishing he had Kibum’s polaroid with him.

As the sky was starting to darken, they were all starting to get hungry, but they couldn’t agree on where to stop for dinner. Minho perked up when they passed by the Tower of London, scanning everywhere for the ice rink. When he spotted it, he got Mom’s attention. “Look, there’s a rink.”

Her eyebrows rose before she looked over at Dad. “See that rink?” He nodded. “We should find something close by and then come back here to skate.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said without looking up from his map. “Is that the one you went to, Minseok?”

“No, but skating is skating, so...” he gasped, and everyone looked up. “Can we go to Wagamama’s?” Minho’s eyes widened and his mouth already started watering at the thought of having the ginger chicken udon again.

Before Dad could even answer _yes_ , Mom was already steering the boys toward the restaurant. It wasn’t like Dad was going to say no, since this was one of their favorite chain restaurants in England. Minho hadn’t been since the summer between his first and second years at Hogwarts, but he’d be lying if he didn’t dream about the food sometimes.

Everyone ate slowly, savoring each and every bite. They left Wagamama’s almost at 8 o’clock, and Minho hoped that Kibum and his family were still at the rink.

He tried not to hurry, not only because he was full but also because he didn’t want to seem too eager. But, once he reached the cobblestone walkway, he couldn’t help but stand up on his tiptoes to see over the crowd. “What are you looking for?”

Minho started to sink down, opening his mouth to answer his mom when he spotted Kibum. He was huddling between his mom and Grandma and scanning the crowd for himself. Minho cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey!”

Kibum swung around, quickly finding Minho. Even from this distance, Minho could see his dimpled grin. Both of them darted away from their families, meeting each other in the middle. Kibum shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, his smile broadening. “You came!”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Kibum?”

His eyes fluttered open when Stan Shunpike shook his shoulder, and he squinted as he sat up from the bed, bracing himself when it slid back as the Knight Bus came to a stop. He sniffed, looking out the window.

“This is your stop.”

He huffed, glaring blearily at Stan for waking him up, and grabbed his polaroid from the hook on the headboard. “Thanks,” he mumbled as he passed him on his way out the door. “Thanks, Ern. Bye, Dre,” he said, and the chatter of the severed head followed him until the door closed and the Knight Bus zoomed away.

Smoke puffed out of the chimney of Grandma’s house, the gray wisps blending in with the sky. Kibum hooked his polaroid over his head and jogged across the street to the front door. Mom’s car wasn’t there, so it was possible that she and Grandma were out, or that Mom was on an errand. He stamped the slush of melting snow off his feet and knocked on the door.

No response.

Sighing, Kibum stepped off the porch and ran around back to the fence. It was also locked, but he latched onto the top of the fence and climbed up, jumping safely down to the other side. The back door? Always unlocked. He kicked off his shoes and shed his sweater, dropping it on the kitchen table when he passed by.

“Mom? Grandma?”

He followed the sound of the crackling fire to find Grandma asleep on the couch, a bundle of burgundy yarn and the beginnings of a sweater in her lap. Kibum placed a kiss on her cheek with a smile before he tiptoed back into the kitchen, making himself a sandwich as quietly as possible.

Once it was plated, Kibum sifted through the mail on the counter, pulling out the letter to himself from Jonghyun. He started to tear open the envelope as he crept back to his room, but he didn’t start to read it until he was situated on his bed.

> _Ki,_
> 
> _So, I’ll be back by Christmas Eve...Dad wants us to spend Christmas together as a family, as if it doesn’t matter that they’re divorced and will probably be fighting the entire fucking time._
> 
> _I know you’re not here and can’t see me writing this, but just know that I am currently rolling my eyes._
> 
> _Anyways, please please please can we hang out a little? I know it can’t be the whole time because we’ll both be with our family, but please? (I know you’re not gonna object but, please?)_
> 
> _Your favorite and most annoying friend who happens to live in France because his father hates friendship, stability, and his own personal happiness,_
> 
> _Jjong_

Kibum chuckled as he folded up the letter and dropped it on his nightstand. He did feel bad for Jonghyun, with his parents being separated an all, but he was glad and relieved that he would be able to spend time with him this Christmas. And, Kibum knew, even though he was being slightly over-dramatic in his letter, that Jonghyun was going to be happy to see him, too.

The front door creaked open, and Kibum sat up, brushing the crumbs from his sandwich off his lips, and hurried downstairs. “Mom? Is that you?”

She popped her head around the wall of the living room before coming around to meet him halfway. “You’re home already?” she asked as she pulled him into a tight hug. “The door was locked, how’d you get in.”

“Backdoor,” he said, his voice slightly muffled.

She kissed the top of his head twice before she pulled away. “Let me look at you,” she said, cupping his face in her very cold hands.

“Mooom...”

“Shh.” She searched his face, her smile growing fond. “You’re getting so big, I can’t believe how grown up you are!” Kibum just huffed when he felt his face start to color, and she patted his cheeks before she dropped her hands. “How’s school been?”

“Good, so far. I think I’m doing okay with my classes.” He followed her into the kitchen, where she put the kettle on.

“Now, be honest,” Kibum’s eyebrows arched, “you’re not distracted by any of the girls yet, are you?” His brow furrowed. Girls? Why would he be distracted by them? He shook his head when Mom looked up from preparing her tea bag. “Good. You can save your crushes for when you’re older. Do you want something hot to drink?”

“Uh,” he blinked, glancing behind her at the mugs in the cupboard. “Cocoa.”

“Mm, that sounds good.” She finished tying up the tea bag and turned, grabbing three mugs, dropping the tea bag in one before she moved over to the icebox.

“Is the tea for Grandma?”

“Yes, a special blend made by Mrs. Prue.”

“Ahh.” He tapped his fingers on the counter as Mom started heating milk on the stove, his thoughts wandering back to Hogwarts and the many nights that he waited for Minho to finish making their hot cocoa before they went upstairs to go study. “So...what are we doing in London?”

“Well,” she stopped stirring the milk for a moment, glancing back at Kibum. “Grandma has got some errands to run while we’re there, and I thought I would take you Christmas shopping in the Alley while she’s busy. Why, do you have some ideas?”

He stopped tapping his fingers. “There...well...M...” he started tapping his fingers against when she looked back at him. “Minho said that his family might go, and it reminded me of when we went in New York.”

“We...didn’t?”

“No, me and Mrs. Fuller...you and Dad...” his voice trailed off.

“Oh, that’s right.”

An awkward silence settled between them, amplified by the plopping of the chocolate in the heated milk. Besides the few days following the funeral, Mom never really talked about Dad. Grandma did, whether Kibum wanted to reminisce or just, talk about how much he missed him, Grandma was always willing to listen. With the exception of this past year, she was always too preoccupied with work.

He frowned, his gaze darting to the back of her head. Why had she been home? It was so out of character for her to take the year off...Kibum was about to ask her, but then they both heard Grandma stir in the other room, and they turned their attention to her.

“Oh! Kibum! When did you get home?” she asked, the knitting in her lap disappearing in a flash as Kibum got down from his stool and rushed over to hug her.

“About an hour ago.”

“I’m so happy to see you, darling. I missed you.”

Kibum smiled, squeezing her tighter. “Missed you, too.”

“So, what are we talking about?”

Mom cleared her throat and took the pot off of the stove and poured the cocoa into the mugs. “Kibum mentioned something about wanting to go ice skating.” She extended her finger over Kibum’s mug and twirled it, whipped cream appearing in a perfect spiral over the surface. “I remember seeing one close to our hotel on the map, so we could go one of the nights we’re there.” She sprinkled cinnamon over the whipped cream out of thin air before she passed it to him.

“Oh, that does sound fun. I haven’t been in years.”

“Do you remember what the rink was called?”

Mom gave him a funny look as she took a sip of her hot cocoa. “I don’t remember exactly. It’s close to the Tower of London, though...why?”

Kibum shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. “Just curious.”

Grandma discarded her tea bag and stirred some honey into her tea before she headed back out to the living room. Mom soon followed her, and Kibum wiped the whipped cream off of the tip of his nose, smiling when he remembered his and Minho’s first trip to Hogsmeade. Oh, maybe he should let Minho know which rink they were planning on going to...

He drank is cocoa as quickly as he could before he hurried back upstairs, getting stationary out of Mom’s desk.

> _Dear Minho,_

“Uh...that feels weird...”

Kibum crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the waste bin before he dipped the quill and started writing again. Once he finished and the ink was dried, he rolled it up and almost called out for Nutmeg, only to remember that he was still at Hogwarts. Athena, Mom’s owl, was watching him from her perch.

“Mom!” It took a couple of seconds before he heard her yell back _yeah_? “Can I use Athena to send a letter?” Athena’s head twitched to the side and she fluttered her wings.

“Go ahead!”

Kibum looked back at Athena, holding out the letter. “Can you take this to Choi Minho? He lives in the second bedroom on the right at 10 Prism Lane in Manchester.” Athena just blinked at him before she snatched the letter out of his hand. He hopped out of his seat, opening the window for her to fly through. Sighing, he leaned against the sill as he watched her go.

Hopefully, she’d be able to find Minho.

He bounded down the stairs and flopped on the couch beside Grandma, grinning when she chuckled. “Who’d you send a letter to?”

“Minho! Just wanted to let him know I made it home okay.”

Grandma glanced over at Mom before she asked, “Enjoying school so far this year?”

“Yeah! It’s great! Minho and I have been having a lot of fun...” He started telling them about everything that had happened -- that he could remember -- since he saw them last. Eventually, they moved into the kitchen, and he helped them set the table for dinner as he continued to fill them in.

“And did I tell you that Minho won finally won a Quidditch game?” he asked as he took a spoonful of juice out of the kimchi and stirred it into his seolleongtang.

“Several times, sweetheart.” Kibum lowered his eyes to his soup when he felt his face heat up. “Now, finish your dinner before it gets cold.”

Slowly, but surely, the house started to look more and more ready for Christmas. Mom took Kibum with her the next morning to pick out a Christmas tree, and once it was set up, he and Grandma made popcorn garlands while Mom strung lights. Gold tinsel and carved wooden ornaments adorned the branches, and the whole house smelled of pine, cinnamon, and freshly baked pumpkin pasties.

It was nice to be home.

When it came time for them to leave for London, Kibum found out that Mrs. Prue was coming with them. Apparently, she was helping Grandma with her errands? Whatever, Kibum just wished she blended a tad more easily in with Muggles. The olive green robes with magenta and violet flowers embroidered on them could possibly blend in with the crowd, but the pointed velvet cap ringed with moss and herbs almost certainly ensured that they would stand out in London.

She offered Kibum a lint-covered caramel once they were seated on the Knight Bus. He declined, hoping he hid his grimace, and she went back to chatting with Mom and Grandma. They seemed to like her, and that’s all that really mattered.

They all got off of the Knight Bus at the Leaky Cauldron, stopping in for lunch, to which Mrs. Prue treated them all to game pie. Once they finished, they split up, Mrs. Prue taking Grandma to her apothecary to check something before they went on to taking care of Grandma’s errands. Kibum followed Mom, and their first stop was to Gringotts, where Mom took out a whole ten Galleons for him to buy Christmas presents with.

He was so excited -- that was the most money he had ever had at one time -- but when they started going into the shops, his excitement started to wane when he saw how expensive everything was. He found the perfect thing for Jonghyun at Praedico Predico -- a good luck charm made from a stone found on the moon -- but it cost four Galleons, and he still had to buy something for Minho, Grandma, and Mom...

Sadly, he put it back on its hook, and Mom thanked the owner as they went back outside into the cold.

Mom suggested a scarf for Grandma, and they found one for only two Galleons at Twitfit and Tattings. It was really pretty, a nice combination of white, blues, and black. Kibum bought it and they wrapped it nicely when Mom mentioned it was going to be a Christmas present.

They went to Flourish and Blotts at Mom’s suggestion, and Kibum just followed her, keeping an eye on the books that caught her interest. The based-on-a-true-story fictional series _Behind, Beyond, and Beginnings_ by L.P. Lovegood seemed to pique her interest, but the entire set cost twenty Galleons. He took the first book -- _Lost and Found_ \-- off the shelf, and read the back. Apparently, it depicted the life of Grey Lady, Ravenclaw’s ghost? He glanced at the back of all the books, finding that they were all about the ghosts at Hogwarts.

Kibum put it back on the shelf after he saw that it was only three Galleons. He’d have to come back later with Grandma and buy it then.

So, that would take away five Galleons, leaving five for Minho and Jonghyun...

Mom took him to Twinkle’s Telescopes when they were brainstorming about gift ideas for Minho. He mentioned that Minho liked to look at the stars, and this did seem like the right place to go, what with all the telescopes and star charts, but it was all way too expensive. That is, until they were on their way out, and Minho caught a glimpse of a rack of necklaces for one Galleon. He went over, finding that the pendants were constellations. Kibum turned the rack slowly, scanning every necklace.

Wait, was that?...Perfect.

“Boötes?” Mom asked as Kibum hurried to the register and fished out one of his Galleons.

“It’s his favorite.” Her brow furrowed and Kibum laughed as he took the bag from the owner. “I don’t know why, but it is. Can we go back to Praedico Predico now?” he asked as they stepped back outside.

He did end up buying the charm for Jonghyun, and luckily it came with a chain so he could wear it around his neck. They spotted Grandma and Mrs. Prue as they left the shop, and they decided that they were worn out enough to head back to the hotel for the night.

When they walked past the Tower of London, Kibum slowed down, scanning every passerby to see if they were Minho or any of the Chois. He sighed when they reached the end of the pavilion. Athena had returned empty-handed, but Kibum wasn’t sure if Minho had gotten his letter since he didn’t respond.

Kibum slept well that night, despite Mrs. Prue and Mom’s snoring, and left after breakfast with Grandma and Mrs. Prue -- as Mom had some calls to make for work or something -- to return to Diagon Alley. He told Grandma that he just had to buy Mom’s present, and he would be good to go.

Once they arrived, Grandma sent him off to get it while she accompanied Mrs. Prue back to her shop, and Kibum rejoined them once he bought _Lost and Found._ He helped them with bundling sage and thyme for potions and cleansing until Mrs. Prue answered the phone. It was Mom letting them know that she was done with work and ready to go out for the day, and that she’d meet them at the Eye.

They met her at the base of the London Eye, and she suggested that they go up, but Kibum balked when he saw how high the ferris wheel was. Instead, they ended up enjoying the festival by the river, enjoying their share of street food until they were full.

Eventually, Mom said that if they were going to go skating like Kibum wanted to, now was the time, as they would be leaving in the morning. So, they made their way back toward the hotel, Kibum walking between them. When they reached the ice rink again, Kibum stopped, scanning the crowd for Minho again, his heart sinking when he didn’t see him.

“What are you waiting for, hon? Let’s g -- “

“Hey!” Kibum’s eyebrows shot up at the sound of Minho’s voice, and he whirled around to see him at the edge of the pavilion with his rather confused looking family.

“Be right back,” he said, running over to Minho when he saw him break away from his family. His first instinct was to hug him, but, being that both of their families were watching and he literally saw him a few days ago, Kibum decided against. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pocket and grinned when he stopped in front of Minho. “You came!”

“Of course!” Even in the dim lighting of the street and shop lights, Minho’s eyes twinkled brightly. “Did you doubt me?”

Kibum just shook his head, glancing behind Minho when Minseok appeared, and his grin waning to a small smile when Mr. and Mrs. Choi followed him. “Hello again, Kibum.”

He bowed to them. “It’s nice to see you again.” He cleared his throat, glancing at Minho. “We, uh, were about to go ice skating, if you want to join us.”

Realization dawned on Minseok’s face as he glanced between Kibum and Minho, but he masked it with a smile. “That’s crazy! That’s where we’re heading, too!”

“Kibum?” He turned his head slightly when Mom placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t we want to...Oh, Minho, hello!” He bowed to her, and she pulled Kibum away slightly. “Let’s not bother them anymore, okay? Enjoy your evening,” she said to Mr. and Mrs. Choi before she and Kibum walked away.

“Did you plan this ahead of time?” Kibum’s gaze darted to the ground and she sighed.

“Kimee,” Grandma said, and both she and Kibum looked up at her. “Let him be. He just wanted to spend time with his friend, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”

“Right.” Kibum let out a relieved sigh, his gaze following Minho and his family as they started to head towards the rink. “Come on, let’s go get us some ice skates.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Enjoy your evening,” Mrs. Kim said as she led Kibum away from Minho. He watched him go, dropping his gaze when Dad’s hand clapped on his shoulder.

“Did you plan this?”

Minho worried his bottom lip as he stared at the cobblestone. If his silence weren’t an obvious enough response, his quiet _yes_ was.

Dad took a deep breath, but Mom cut off whatever his reply was going to be by saying, “We’ll discuss this later.” Dad dropped his hand and Minseok offered him a sympathetic smile before he darted off toward the rink. “Go on with your brother, Minho.”

He slowly followed Minseok and he tried not to glance over at Kibum as he passed. How was he going to enjoy his time with Kibum, now that it was tainted with the possibility of getting in trouble? “Hey, Min!” He looked up at Minseok who was at the stand where the ice skates were being handed out. “What’s your size? I don’t remember.”

“Thirty-eight.”

“And a thirty-eight, please,” Minseok said to the employee in English. He passed Minho his skates by their laces and Minho went over to the nearest bench. Minseok plopped down beside him. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think what you did was wrong.” Minho clenched his jaw, lacing up his skates. He rubbed his back before he finished tying off his laces. “If you need help out there, just ask me,” he said before he got up and carefully walked over to the nearest opening in the rink.

Minho sniffed and moved on to his other skate, starting when someone sat down beside him. He relaxed when he saw it was Kibum and smiled when he rubbed the side of his head. “You got your haircut!”

“Yeah, Mom did it almost as soon as I got home.” He tightened the laces on his ankles. “I know, it looks stupid.”

“No, it looks...fine.” Minho rolled his eyes, bumping their shoulders together. “So, how’s your break so far?” he asked as he kicked off his shoes and slipped his feet into his skates.

“Not bad. I got a cat.” Kibum slowly sat up, his eyes very wide when they met Minho’s gaze. “For my birthday!” Kibum blinked and Minho laughed. “Her name is Ember.” Kibum blinked again. “She’s really cute and I don’t know what else to say..?”

“Do you have a picture?”

“Mom might, on her phone.”

“Are you gonna take her back with you?”

Minho finished tying off his skates, his brow furrowing. “I don’t know? Probably not. I can’t really see my parents being okay with it.”

“Oh. Hey, don’t leave me!” Kibum said when Minho stood, his legs wobbling when Kibum grabbed his arm.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to.” He walked across to the banister and braced himself on it as he turned to face Kibum who was just starting to tighten his laces. “What are you doing wasting time for? Hurry up and let’s go!”

“What the hell?” Kibum said, laughing. Both quieted when Minho’s parents walked between them, and Kibum’s gaze followed them as they made their way to the skate stand. “Is it just me, or does your dad seem more constipated than usual tonight?”

Minho snorted loudly at the unexpected comment and covered his mouth to hide his laugh when Mom looked their way. “Don’t say stuff like that, he might hear you.”

“So?”

“Just...” he glanced back at his parents and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Finish tying your fucking skates.”

Kibum grinned cheekily at him before he returned his attention to the laces. He held out his hands to Minho once he was done, and Minho helped him stand, both leaning on each other as they wobbled toward the opening in the banister. Minho quickly let go of Kibum and gripped the edge of the banister while Kibum glided slowly forward. He staggered as he turned around, his amusement with Minho quite clear.

“I just don’t have very good balance on -- “ he lifted up his skate a little and almost slipped backward, “ -- these things. Shut up,” he said, chuckling when Kibum started to laugh.

“But you’re so good at flying?”

“Does this fucking look like flying to you?”

“Maybe you’re the constipated one.” Kibum skated out of Minho’s reach, grinning as he turned back around. “Come here, I’ll help you.” He offered his hand to Minho, who hesitantly took it but didn’t let go of the banister. “Min, I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

He looked up at Kibum, who nodded behind him to the rink, and he sighed as he let go of the banister.

\- - - - -

“Graduation.”

Kimee frowned as she put down her hot cocoa. “What?” Mom nodded to the ice rink, and Kimee followed her gaze to where Kibum and Minho were skating -- if you could call it that. They were barely moving but their arms were linked. She couldn’t tell who was helping who, but, judging by their smiles, they were having fun.

“I think they’ll be dating by graduation.”

“Really?”

Mrs. Choi must have called them over, because Minho looked up and Kibum changed their direction to go towards her. It was a possibility. She’d be an idiot not to notice how Kibum talked about Minho -- “my Minho,” she heard him say on more than one occasion, but that didn’t mean anything, really.

Probably.

Mom cleared her throat and Kimee tore her gaze away from her son. “When it does happen -- “

“Not ‘if’?”

“Just listen. When it does happen, I hope you’ll be supportive of him. And Minho, of course.”

She took another sip of her cocoa, finding Kibum and Minho again on the ice. Bumji and she had had this discussion -- “What if one or more of our kids comes out as gay?” -- before they were even expecting Kibum. During their years at Hogwarts, they met several people who had varying degrees of acceptance from their parents. Some were merely tolerated while others ended up living at Hogwarts during their remaining summers and never hearing from their parents again.

Because of this, they agreed to love their children no matter what.

“Mom, that’s a given. Of course I will be.”

“Good.”

“Mom! Mom! You have to see Minho’s cat!” Kibum yelled as he and Minho skated toward them, a little faster than they were before, it seemed.

“Her name is -- oof -- Ember,” Minho said as he collided with the banister in front of them. He was holding out a thin pink flip phone and Kimee got up from her seat to look.

“Aww, she’s so cute. Look, Mom,” she took the phone and passed it back to her.

“Very adorable. She looks happy.”

“I hope she is.” Minho took back the phone from her and stuffed it into his pocket. “I should take this back to my mom.”

“I guess.”

Kibum started to skate after him, but Kimee held onto his arm. He looked back at her, a question in his eyes. “We should head back to the hotel soon, before Grandma gets too cold.”

“All right.” He glided back to Minho’s side, linking their arms again as he matched Minho’s slower pace.

“How much do you want to bet?”

“Hmm?”

“That they’ll be dating by graduation.”

Mom smiled, folding her hands together in her lap. “You’ll owe me twenty Galleons if I’m right.”

“Deal.” They watched them take a slow turn, Kibum catching Minho when he almost fell. “Who do you think will be the one to confess?”

“Kibum. Definitely.”

\- - - - -

“Woah, woah, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Kibum patted his arm as Minho straightened back up, and they returned to gliding as smoothly as possible on the ice. “I wish I could stay longer, buddy, but Mom wants us to go back to the hotel soon. But this was fun, right?”

“Yeah.” He found his parents on the sidelines, both of them watching Minseok on the other side of the rink. “We’ll have to do this at Hogwarts sometime, if they have skates.”

“We could, but there are no banisters on the Black Lake,” Kibum said, his smile quite evident in his voice.

“True, but I’ve got you.” Kibum squeezed Minho’s arm tightly for a second. “Hey, um, thanks for having this idea. I’m glad we got to hang out a little during our break.”

“I have been known to have good ideas on some occasions.”

“Some. Definitely not all.”

“Why are you like this.”

Minho burst out laughing, leaning on the banister when they slid close enough to it so he wouldn’t make Kibum fall. He shoved Kibum away from him, his eyes widening when Kibum almost collided with another skater. Both called out their apologies, but the other skater didn’t seem to mind.

Kibum glanced across the rink, and Minho followed his gaze to see Grandma and Mrs. Kim making their way to the exit. “I should probably get going...” He turned, giving Minho one last smile, and skated away. Minho watched him go, waving when Kibum looked back before he stepped off the ice.

Sighing, Minho crept along the banister, walking on the ice more than skating. He almost slipped and fell when someone skated up to him and grabbed his arm.

Oh, it was only Minseok.

“Hold on,” he said before he pulled Minho away from the banister and started to skate backward. Minho latched onto his brother’s forearm, gulping as he started to take him around the rink. He was skating much faster than Kibum could, which made Minho grip his arm as tightly as he could when the shot around the bend.

He wasn’t quite sure why Minseok was laughing -- maybe it was his terrified expression or the fact that he was sort-of, not-really screaming. After two laps, Minseok slowed to a stop and Minho let go, leaning against the banister.

“That was...fun.”

“Yeah, maybe tell that to your face.”

As he was trying to come up with a wittier retort than “You’re stupid” or “Shut up,” Dad whistled and they both instantly looked over at their parents. Time to go. Mom waved and they started walking toward the exit, and Minho grabbed Minseok’s jacket before he could skate off without him.

The walk back to King’s Cross seemed to take forever, and Minho’s nose and ears were numb by the time they were safely inside. He huddled between Mom and Minseok as they waited for their train home, trying to warm up. Once they were on the train, he was soon fast asleep on Mom’s shoulder. She shook him awake by the time they reached Manchester, and he blearily watched the night pass them by as they pulled into Piccadilly Station.

The drive home was quiet, save for the on-going conversation between Mom and Dad, and Minho was almost asleep again by the time they reached the house. He staggered back inside, kicking off his shoes and handing his coat to Mom to hang up in the hall closet.

“Minho, come here for a moment,” Dad said before he turned to go into the living room.

He rubbed his eyes, looking up at his mom for any sort of clue, but she had picked up Ember and was baby-talking to her as she walked upstairs. Minseok patted Minho’s shoulder before he followed her up the stairs. Gulping, Minho started for the warm light seeping into the hallway from the living room.

Dad was sitting in his chair, and he kicked up his recliner as Minho walked in and took a seat on the far end of the couch. Uncomfortable silence settled between them, but Minho knew better than to speak first. When Dad looked down at his lap, Minho spared a quick glance at the clock above the mantle. _12:16_...He stifled a sigh. Hopefully, this wouldn’t take too long.

“What I don’t understand is...” Minho pursed his lips and folded his hands tightly in his lap. “...you came home to spend time with us for Christmas, and yet you went behind our back and planned to meet up with that...with Kibum.” He averted his eyes and cracked his knuckles, the sound loud in the otherwise quiet house. “I don’t appreciate being lied to, Minho.”

It wasn’t lying, he didn’t think. It wasn’t even withholding truth. They...it was just...they weren’t even sure it would work out like they hoped. And besides, it was only, like, an hour of the winter break. It wasn’t as though Minho had snuck Kibum into the house and kept him there for days without telling Dad...

“Ever since you’ve started going to that school, I’ve noticed a change in you. You’re not the same boy that you were in Korea.” Yeah...finding out that you have magic really changes a person. Minho almost scoffed, but he managed to keep his face neutral. “I have half a mind to send you back -- “ his eyes widened then, and his breath hitched. He couldn’t leave, not when he was finally getting used to being a wizard. “ -- but I won’t. Not if your attitude improves.”

“What,” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “What can I do?”

“I think you need to limit the time you spend with Kibum.” Minho’s brow furrowed. “I know that will be difficult, but I think he is a bad influence on you and it would be best if you didn’t spend as much time with him. You must have other friends there you can study and have fun with, it doesn’t have to be him all the time.”

“He -- “ his voice almost died in his throat when Dad speared him with a glare. “He’s not a bad influence. He’s a good friend. My best friend.”

“I know you think that now, son, but -- “

“No. I _know_ he’s the best friend I’ll ever have. He...he...if I didn’t have him at Hogwarts, I would be so lost. He’s helped me from the second he met me, Dad. If he was as bad as you seem to think, he would have just ignored me from the start. Why don’t you like him?”

“Minho...”

“No, I want to know, because I don’t un -- “

“Minho, that’s enough.” He clenched his jaw and tried to crack his knuckles again. “This outburst is not helping your case.” Minho closed his eyes as he sighed, forcing himself to calm down.

“Except for meals, you are to stay in your room for the rest of your break. You can use this time to think about ways to work on your attitude.” Minho stared at the floor, his hands tightening together in his lap. “Did you hear me?” He nodded. “Go on to bed, then,” he said, grabbing the remote and flicking on the TV as Minho stood.

He held his head high until he rounded the corner and slipped out of Dad’s line of sight. His shoulders fell, and the tears he had been willing away sprung to his eyes as he slowly went upstairs. Minho stopped in front of his room and pushed his door open, but glanced down the hall to Minseok’s room and the sliver of light peeking out at the base of the door. A glance downstairs told him Dad was still in the living room, so he crept down the hall and slipped into Minseok’s room without knocking.

Minseok looked up from his book and stuck his finger between the pages as he closed it. “Grounded?” Minho nodded. “That sucks.”

“You...” He worried his bottom lip and glanced down at the mess on Minseok’s floor. “You don’t think I’ve changed since we moved here, do you?”

“I do,” Minseok said after a moment. “But not in a bad way. I think...realizing who you are and accepting it has really helped you. Plus, every time I see you again, you’ve got a bit more confidence.”

“You think so?”

“Yup.” Minseok opened his book again, finding where he left off. “Now, get the fuck out of my room before you get into even more trouble.”

He closed the door as quietly as he could and hurried back to his room with a small smile.

* * * * * * * * * *

_Plink...plink plink._

Kibum rubbed his eyes as he woke up, frowning at the strange sound. There it was again, and he sat up, looking over at his window to see a pebble being thrown against it. He let out an exasperated sigh as he slid out of bed, taking his comforter with him, and opened the window to see Jonghyun across the way in his bedroom, his arm posed the throw again.

“Hi, Ki!” he said, beaming at him.

“How long have you been up?”

“All night! Gotta wait up to see Santa, of course.” He laughed heartily when Kibum glared at him. “But for real, I snuck downstairs to see what I got from my parents.”

“Anything good?”

He shrugged, tossing the rest of his pebbles to the ground as he leaned against the sill. “Guitar picks that can play by themselves, but I feel like that sort of defeats the purpose of playing the guitar.”

“Yeah...” Jonghyun brushed something off the window sill. “Your dad get it for you?” He nodded, sighing. “At least he’s trying, right?”

“I guess.” He glanced behind him, and Kibum’s gaze flicked behind him to Jonghyun’s closed bedroom door. Even from here, he could hear Mr. and Mrs. Kim yelling at each other. “When can I come over?”

“Probably not until after lunch. If Sodam wants to come over, too, that’s totally fine.”

“I’ll let her know.” Jonghyun flinched when his parents got louder, but he smiled when he caught Kibum watching him. “See you later, Ki,” he said before he slid his window closed.

Kibum wrapped his blanket tightly around himself before he grabbed his presents for Mom and Grandma and hurried downstairs. He smiled at Mom when he passed by the kitchen to go into the living room, arranging the presents beneath the tree.

“I’m gonna go see if Grandma is awake,” Mom said from the kitchen, taking two steaming mugs of something -- coffee, by the smell of it -- with her to Grandma’s room.

Leaning into the couch, he watched Mom until the door closed behind her and discarded his comforter as he bounded into the kitchen. He slid to a stop in front of the stove, his gaze trained on the percolator. There was still a bit of coffee in there...enough for a taste.

Whenever he wanted to taste Mom’s or Dad’s fancy coffee, they’d always tell him “No. Not until you’re older.” Fourteen was more than old enough, right?

Probably.

Definitely.

He glanced behind him, breathing a sigh of relief when the door was still closed, and got a mug from the shelf in the cupboard. “Just a splash,” he told himself, barely tipping the percolator and letting a bit of the coffee pour out. He swirled the coffee around in his mug before he downed it.

Oh.

It tasted like...like burnt dirt and sadness. He spit it back into the mug, fighting the urge to scrape the taste off his tongue. He looked back at Grandma’s closed bedroom door before he opened the icebox and drank pumpkin juice straight from the bottle. Why do adults put themselves through that torture? Kibum shuddered when he thought about the taste again, and washed the memory down with another swig of juice.

“Okay,” he started at the sound of Grandma’s voice, rushing to put the juice back before either of them saw. “Ready for presents?”

“Yeah!” he said, burping under his breath. As he closed the icebox door, Kibum focused on the cluster of pictures he took last Christmas in the Hufflepuff dormitory.

What if he told them the truth today?

The thought curdled his stomach, and he averted his eyes from the icebox. If the _perfect_ opportunity arose, sometime today, then he absolutely would. Not that he knew what the perfect scenario for coming clean about this would be...maybe Salazaar Slytherin himself materializing in the living room and saying, “Yup, he’s one of mine.” They wouldn’t be able to get mad at one of the founders, would they?

As ridiculous as that thought was...Kibum was still hopeful.

He draped his comforter around himself once he joined them in the living room, and he sat beside the tree so he could pass out the presents. Both Mom and Grandma loved their gifts from him, which made Kibum’s heart happy, Grandma knit him a sweater, the burgundy one he caught her working on when he got home. He instantly changed into it and thanked her with a hug.

“Oh, hey!” he said as he started to open his present from Mom. “First year was yellow, and then blue, and now red. One more and I’ll have all four Hogwarts colors!”

“Oh, that’s true. I didn’t even think of that. Starting with the best and ending with, well, Slytherin.” Kibum instantly dropped his gaze to the present in his hands and hoped that neither of them noticed his change in expression. They didn’t seem to since Mom laughed. So, he would definitely not be bringing it up today...

Sighing, Kibum tore away the last of the wrapping paper to reveal a leather-bound journal. When he opened it, he found clear pockets on the pages.

“Those are for your polaroids,” Mom said as Kibum flipped through the empty pages. “This is to help you remember your time at Hogwarts better. Grandma gave me the same thing when I was about your age. I still have it, somewhere.”

“I think it’s in the attic.”

“Probably.” Kibum flipped to the end of the journal, his brow furrowing. “Do you not like it?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, I do! I’m just worried there aren’t enough pages.”

“Don’t worry! I enchanted it myself. You’ll never run out.” His eyebrows raised in surprise, and Mom laughed when he started flipping through the journal again.

“Can I start putting stuff in it?”

“Go ahead!”

Kibum scooped up his comforter and ran back up to his room, scanning his walls for his favorite pictures from his time at Hogwarts so far. Once he picked out a couple that he remembered exactly what happened when it was taken, he situated himself on the floor and started organizing them. His absolute favorites were all at Hogwarts in his trunk, so he couldn’t put them in until he went back in a week.

He picked up the first picture he had taken with his polaroid...the one that had started the confusion with his sorting. Kibum sighed, staring at the slightly younger versions of himself and Minho. He sat up, looking in the mirror and then back at the picture. His face had filled out a bit more since then, and he was slightly less chubby than he was. That was probably thanks to Minho, who, for whatever reason, liked to run rampant through the halls on a whim. And, of course, he would have to jog to catch up with him.

Where Minho got his seemingly boundless energy from, Kibum would never know.

Kibum slipped it into the journal, uncapping his ink bottle and dipping his quill, and started writing down notes about what he remembered from that day. Once he was finished with the ones he picked from the wall, he went downstairs, taking a few from off the ice box and snatching a couple of cookies Mom and Grandma had just baked before he ran back upstairs.

He wasn’t sure what time it was when Jonghyun opened his bedroom door, greeting him with a cheery “Hello!” Kibum grunted, too focused on his writing to come up with more of a response. He plopped down beside him -- literally, flush beside him -- and Kibum scooted a little ways away. “I feel so welcome,” he said, and Kibum scoffed when he put his quill down.

“I need room to write.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jonghyun said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He scooted back up against Kibum, who was struggling not to smile now. “So, what are you doing?” Kibum tested the ink to see if it was dry before he flipped back to the first page for Jonghyun to see. “Was that your first day of school?”

“No, I think it was like a week in.”

“Already out of uniform,” he said, pointing at Kibum lack of tie. “Good thing you’re not in Ravenclaw. Flitwick is surprisingly strict about that. Does Sprout care?”

Kibum pursed his lips, turning the page. “You’ll have to ask Minho.”

“I mean, I would, but since he’s not here I’m asking the only other Hufflepuff I care about.” Kibum started to glance in Jonghyun’s direction, but thought better of it. Instead, he turned his head to look at more of his pictures. “Kibum...”

“Hmm?”

Jonghyun sort-of laughed, and Kibum recognized the confusion in it. “It’s a simple question.”

“I know, I just...” Should he? Would it make him feel better to tell one person, even if they weren’t family? Jonghyun would probably keep his secret, too, until he was ready. “I’m not in Hufflepuff so I wouldn’t know,” he said all at once, the words tumbling out of his mouth.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Jonghyun’s head cock to the side. “Did you just say -- “

“I’m not in Hufflepuff. I never have been. I...I’ve been in Slytherin this whole time.” When Jonghyun didn’t respond right away, Kibum looked over at him to find him staring blankly at Kibum’s open journal. He flipped back to the first page, pointing at the picture of him and Minho. “Because I was with Minho and not in my uniform like he was, Grandma just assumed I was in Hufflepuff, and I...I just never corrected her.”

He let out a long sigh, a sort of relief settling over him.

“Well, damn.”

“Yeah...”

“I mean...fuck...that sucks.”

“...yeah.” He blinked, glancing between Jonghyun and the picture. “Wait, the lying for years part or the fact that I’m in...Slytherin?”

“The lying. Though, that can’t be easy either.”

Kibum rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad. Really,” he added when Jonghyun shot him a look of disbelief. “There’s some stuff I really like about Slytherin.”

“Like what?”

Both jumped at the sound of knocking at the door. “Hi, Jjong,” Mom said as she stepped inside the bedroom.

“Hi, Mrs. Kim!”

“Dinner is ready. It’s just leftovers, nothing fancy.”

“Okay!” Kibum said, feeling the strain in his smile. “We’ll be right down.” She left the door open as she left, and they laid still on the floor, their heads inclined toward the door until they were sure she was out of earshot. “Promise me you won’t say a word to them.”

Jonghyun huffed. “When have I ever told a secret of yours?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Remember when we accidentally broke Grandma’s Remembrall and were going to try to replace it but the second she came into the room you blurted it out?”

“That was so long ago! We were just kids back then...”

“That literally happened last summer.”

Laughing, Jonghyun clapped his hand on Kibum’s shoulder before he stood. “Look how much older and wiser I am now. I’ve got this.”

Luckily, Jonghyun didn’t say a word throughout dinner. About anything. He silently ate his soup while Mom and Grandma and Sodam talked. Mom offered for both of them to spend the night, if they wanted to, but only Jonghyun took her up on the offer. The boys cleared the table when everyone was finished and did the dishes while Mom went upstairs to extend Kibum’s bed so they could sleep there tonight.

After Kibum cleaned up his journalling mess and he gave Jonghyun his present -- the excited yelling scared Mom and she came upstairs to see if they were all right -- they slipped into bed, even though neither were very tired.

“Does Minho know?” Kibum frowned, glancing over at Jonghyun silhouetted profile. “Okay, so I realize now how stupid of a question that was and I feel like it’d be nice if you didn’t bring it up.”

Kibum burst out laughing, rolling away from Jonghyun and almost into the wall.

“What’s it like, though?” he asked once Kibum stopped giggling. “I heard the common room was basically a dungeon.”

“I thought the same thing when I first saw it, but I don’t think so now...” Kibum blinked, realizing for the first time that his thoughts about his house had changed, however gradually.

Jonghyun rolled over to face him, his hair already sticking out in every direction because of the pillow. “So, what’s your favorite thing about Slytherin?”

“Well...” He told him all about his dormmates and the stupid shit they would do, and how nice it actually was to be in the basement of the castle. Or how no other house had anything close the Lacuspectio so they were really missing out because it was obviously the coolest room in the entire castle -- both figuratively and literally. He talked and answered Jonghyun’s questions until he could barely keep his eyes open.

Jonghyun yawned, breaking the stretch of silence. “You’ve gotta admit...lying for years about being in Hufflepuff is arguably one of the most Slytherin things you could have done.”

He clicked his tongue, and Jonghyun chuckled. “Stereotyping isn’t nice.”

“But in this case, it’s true.”

Kibum flicked his arm, smiling when he heard Jonghyun’s quiet _ow!_ “Serves you right.”

* * * * * * * * * *

A sort of pinkish-peach haze had settled in the parlor of Madam Puddifoot’s shop. Minho wasn’t sure if it was the garish assault of pink adorning literally every surface of the room was causing the haze or if it was the smoke from the candles that were lit far too long ago.

The bell tinkled above him as the door closed, and Minho found that Kibum was already seated at their table by the fireplace. He smiled when their eyes met across the shop, his dimples appearing as Minho made his way to the table and sat across from him.

“It’s about time.” Minho rolled his eyes and reached across the table to break the pumpkin pastie Kibum had bought in half. “What made you think I was going to share that with you?”

He scoffed, stuffing half of it into his mouth. “You always share.”

His dimples appeared again, and Minho almost sighed. “I guess that’s true.” Kibum slid the cup and saucer to him, the tea almost sloshing over the side. “Might as well share this, too.”

They chatted while they drank their tea, occasionally glancing at the hustle and bustle outside the foggy windows. The ambiance inside the parlor was pleasant and quiet and the crackling fire behind him warmed him to his core. He felt...at peace.

“What else do you want to do while we’re here?” Kibum asked him as they took their dishes up to the counter.

“You choose. I’m not picky.”

Kibum let out a long, exasperated sigh. “You never are.”

“Does that frustrate you?” Minho asked with a grin, following Kibum to the door. He didn’t even deign to respond to Minho’s question. Instead, he opened the door for them to leave, and both of them glanced up when the bell didn’t jingle.

A sprig of something had grown out of the bell, this leaves and tiny white berries blossoming before their eyes.

“Oh...my god.”

“Is that...mistletoe?” Minho asked, glancing at Kibum before looking back up at the plant. Sprout had talked about it in class the other day, as well as it’s tie to Christmas tradition.

“You know what that means, right?” Minho shook his head even as he was remembering what Professor Sprout said. “We’re supposed to kiss, now.” His heart stuttered as he licked his chapped lips and glanced down at Kibum’s lips. Heat bloomed across his face when Kibum took a half a step closer to him. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Do you -- “ his voice cracked, and Kibum’s smile grew as Minho’s cheeks colored even more. “Do you want to?” Instead of answering, Kibum glanced down at Minho’s lips before he met Minho’s eyes again.

“Minho...” Kibum said, his voice suddenly urgent and Minho stopped himself from leaning toward him before he ever really started. Was he doing it wrong? He wasn’t sure. Kibum grabbed him by his shoulders, shaking him. “Minho!”

“Wha..?”

Minho opened his eye slowly, seeing a slightly irritated Minseok standing above him. “Finally, you’re awake.” He rubbed his eyes, taking in his bedroom. So, he was home...not at Hogwarts...or Hogsmeade...or Madam Puddifoot’s shop. It had all just been a dream. His face scrunched as he sat up and he frowned up at his brother. “Come on, we’ve been waiting for you to open presents.”

“M’kay.” He slid out of bed, grabbing his discarded hoodie off the floor. It had all been a dream...whatever it was, it faded from his mind. The only thing that lingered was that he was at Hogsmeade with Kibum, but, whatever they were doing was probably more fun than he had had over the past few days.

As much as he enjoyed peace and quiet, there’s only so much alone time Minho could stand. By the end of the first day, he was lamenting the fact that he had left Geum-nan at Hogwarts. If he had brought her home, he could have at least sent letters back and forth to Kibum while he was stuck in his room.

He followed Minseok downstairs, smiling as he bent down to scratch Ember’s ears when she chirruped and rubbed up against his leg. She followed him into the living room and waited until he was situated on the floor before she crawled into his lap.

Looking at all the presents under the tree, he felt slightly guilty, given the fact that he didn’t have the opportunity to go gift shopping at all during his break. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if there were even presents beneath the tree for him.

“Minseok,” Mom said after she set aside her tea. “You go first.”

He grabbed one box and checked the label before passing it to Minho, then picked up his own. “It’s from Uncle Doyun.” Minho’s eyes lit up and he flipped the box over, Ember batting at the ribbon. He waited for Minseok to open his and pull out his envelope and sift through it. “₩ 50,000! And...looks like letters!”

Minho tore into his box, startling Ember. “From who?” Dad asked.

“Uh...Jinil and Kyungwhi! Soojin must have gotten them for me.”

Minho excited ripped into his, finding the same ₩ 50,000. He’d probably have to ask or convince Mom to take him to Gringotts before he went back so he could exchange the won for money he could use while he was at school. But, he honestly didn’t care about the money at the moment. He crumpled up the wrapping paper and dropped it in front of Ember. She immediately batted at it, and Minho smiled as he dug into his envelope again.

A letter from Sooyoung, Jinki, and Taemin? He tucked them into his hoodie pocket, along with his money, so he could read them when he had to go back to his room. Mom and Dad got each of them books -- for Minseok, _Eragon_ and _Eldest_ and for Minho, _The Lightning Thief_. He was excited to read it, because it looked fun and interesting, though he wasn’t sure if he could while he was grounded.

Ember played under the tree while they ate breakfast, Minseok running back into the room to catch the tree when it almost toppled over. She hopped up on the bookshelf to get away from it and watched them as they finished eating. Once the dishes were cleared and cleaned, Minho was back up in his room.

He flopped down on his bed and pulled his letters out of his pocket.

Sooyoung’s letter was long but very fun to read. She got Minho up to date on all the stupid Choi family drama going on in Korea, as well as telling him that Soojin, her older sister, was all but engaged. She wasn’t sure when it would happen, but she was wondering if Minho and his family would be able to come back to Korea for the wedding. He hoped so. It’d be fun to go back and see his favorite cousin again.

Jinki’s letter was short and to the point. He said that he hoped Minho was doing well and that he missed hanging out with him after school.

Taemin’s letter had this excited energy laced into every word. He wanted to know everything about England and he wanted to come and visit and see what it was like, even though he knew his parents would never allow it. He talked about school and told Minho that he was still doing ballet lessons after school. Apparently, his mom thought -- or rather, hoped -- that they would make him more graceful and less clumsy, and so far, that had not been the case.

Grinning, Minho folded all the letters up and put them on his nightstand before he laid back down. He looked up at the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. He had already rearranged them three different ways, and, while he could do it again, he really, _really_ didn’t want to.

The days after Christmas stretched on and on.

He knew...he knew he was supposed to be thinking about what he did. But every time he did, he would only get distracted by Dad’s comments about Kibum. He still could not fathom why Dad didn’t like him, and didn’t want Minho to be around him anymore. Like...he wouldn’t even give him an explanation.

It wasn’t as if Dad knew Kibum at all. When he was here over the summer, Dad spent hardly any time in the same room as him...so, whatever Dad was basing his opinion of Kibum off of wasn’t based on actual knowledge.

So, until he got an actual answer from Dad about what was so fucking terrible about his best friend...his opinion was not important.

Damn, he missed Kibum...

Minho couldn’t wait to get back to the normalcy that Hogwarts provided. After this Christmas break, Minho hoped that Kibum never had to go back home from Christmas. Even if he did, Minho might decide to stay at Hogwarts anyway and avoid the hassle of coming home.

Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case, but he had to be prepared.

The day before he was supposed to head back, Mom dropped off _The Lighting Thief_ , giving him permission to read it. Ember slipped through the crack in the door and stayed with him when he started to read. She even fell asleep on his lap, which meant he couldn’t move until she woke up.

He finished the book that afternoon.

His backpack was packed and ready to go before midnight, and he was dressed hours before Mom came to take him to the train station. Unfortunately, she said no to a trip to Gringotts, but it wasn’t the end of the world, since he thought he remembered the post office in Hogsmeade having some sort of money exchange.

After a quick hug goodbye, Minho hurried to the proper platform to wait for his train. He put his headphones on as he sat down, and he hoped that his iPod mini would have enough battery to make the trip to King’s Cross. It did, luckily enough, the music dying right as soon as they pulled into the station.

Minho was practically vibrating with excitement now, eager to see Kibum and his dormmates again. He tried not to rush or bump into anyone as he made his way to Platform 9 3/4, and he mostly succeeded -- he did stay to help the nice lady pick up her luggage. He ran through the wall, relishing the strange and prickly sensation that always followed and looked around the platform for a glimpse of Kibum.

It didn’t look like he was here, yet.

Students were already boarding the train, some of them hanging half-out of the windows to continue their conversations with their families. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to board now and trust that Kibum would find him, or wait for him out here on the platform. While he was trying to decide, someone’s arm hooked over his shoulder, pulling him closer to them.

He glanced over, wholly unsurprised to see Kibum standing there with a stupidly smug smile. “What are you waiting for?”

“You, dumbass.”

Kibum snorted, dropping his arm from around Minho and started for the train. Minho followed him to their seats and he leaned against him, sighing. “You okay?” Minho shrugged, glancing over at Kibum when he tried to meet his eye. “Did something happen?”

He could have told him that he had gotten grounded, but, he just didn’t want to talk about it. Not right now, anyway. Looking at Kibum now, though, he remembered that he had had some sort of dream about him sometime during the break. His face must have scrunched up or something, given Kibum’s increasingly concerned expression.

“Okay, you’re scaring me.”

“No, no! Don’t worry.” He laughed, rubbing his hand over his face. “I just had a dream about us earlier and I was trying to remember what happened.”

“Well?”

“I’ve got nothing.” He laughed when Kibum scoffed, but then his brow furrowed when Kibum froze beside him. “What?”

“Fuck...I forgot your present at home!” He stood, as if he were just going to run home and get it right now, but slowly sunk into his seat when the Hogwarts Express pulled forward. “Shit...”

“It’s okay! You could always write your mom or Grandma and have them send it.”

Kibum let out a long sigh. “True. You’re really gonna like it, though.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“It’s almost as if you’re my -- ” he paused with a gasp, “ -- best friend! And I know what kind of stuff you'd like!” Minho gasped in mock surprise, which started Kibum giggling. He rested his head on Minho’s shoulder for a second, until he stopped laughing. “I missed you.”

Minho closed his eyes, smiling when a sense of peace washed over him. “I missed you, too, Bummie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a heads up, I'll be going on a hiatus starting now (although I'll probably end up writing something about them exchanging presents so be on the lookout for that [_here_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16182761/chapters/37814750)). I'll be writing the next seven chapters before I post anything else. I'm not sure when I'll be posting again, as soon as possible, tbh, but once I finish all seven, I'll be posting one chapter per week until I run out. Sorry about the hiatus, but I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


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